30.

and the orioles arrive

astonishing, set against

a new canopy, for an

instant, artificial brilliance

(can we believe true
beauty?) then clearly alive
weightless, at work

singing in swollen light

weaving the hanging nest

(David’s sling…) above

the wet black driveway

it’s been a long winter

and now on wings

from across these rivers

stretching into longer days

dreams (dangling) amid

supple limbs and

the unfolding lives

of orange birds

29.

Luzmarina

I will tell you something

about your spine

it will stoop

and pull you deeper

into these curves

you must throw your

shoulders back

and lift your eyes

(brown as tagua nuts

) begin the walk

and find your way

back to Ecuador

light of the sea

who told you happiness

was growing old in

this bent, cold

place?

28.

the cormorant is

how darkness folds

languid black letters

through blacker pages

quatrains threaded in

out of silence, slick

wings tucked, doubled

and long neck slung

those same sad curves

wrapping the heart

invisibly, perched on

balanced, searching

stillness for a shining

calligraphy beneath

surfaces, flashes of

meaning worth flight

and the dive below

glistening