the clarion call from the mountains

i see you, bighorn sheep

on the steep mountain ledge and crevice 

your hooves fitting & climbing

through rocky terrain, stealthy as poet's muse

[what is so grand about you?]

you carry your large horns, smouldering spirals

as stately crown as your rich summer brown coat

your watchful gaze is steady

on the wide field of grass & clover & sage

oak and fir trees dot along the unpaved roads

where predators prowl waiting

for your missteps & fall

[can you remind me what is so special about you?]

you are patient as the slow moving clouds

watching the blue sky expanding, unfenced & unguarded

as your wild heart, beating to the call of northern winds

there is a sacred 

pact between you 

and the mountain gods

[i respect it and wait for the clarion call]

Posted for dVerse Poets Pub- Creatures of the Blank Space, hosted by Dora.  Years ago, we visited the Banff Mountains in Alberta, Canada, where we saw the Bighorn Sheep by the mountain sides.   They are spectacular creatures with massive horns.

the bird underneath my winter coat

she is light as feather 
on the train, we're matching sweaters
but in my office, we're opposites 
as i pour over my sheets
she is leaning out of glass window
steeled by balconies, her flamingo
skin quivering among boxed flowers & fake grapes- 
her eyes far away, smitten with the lake-

there are city pigeons & gulls 
feeding near the trash bins, but her pulse
is untutored rhyme so she stays away
from gossips around the water cooler-
her sighs are blighted poetry 
scribbled hurriedly on paper napkins 

she leads a secret life,  
craving for sweet berries & a slice 
of honeycomb or mushrooms-
her screams are echoes 
of raindrops until 
every evening, i return home 

where i preen her wings
and we dance and swing  
to wild song of the wind
to hoots of night creatures
until finally
my chord hits a nightingale's note
she's a songstress in velveteen- 

Posted for dVerse poets Pub- Hosted by Kim Russell.  Inspired by the poem, The Heavy Bear who Walks with Me.  The challenge is to write a poem, of any length or form, about an animal in a human way or a human in an animal way, highlighting some trait of the animal/human that either sets us apart or brings us together – it’s up to you, just as long as the poem is new.