Photograph by Peter Mutschler

Poem by Tom Gillaspy

2024

White Pelican

Skirting the red osier marsh,

bounded by burgeoning

fox sedge and wild rice,

bulrush and manna grass close-by,

A primordial lily pad pool erupts

as ten-foot wings spread

over the water,

slowly gathering speed,

pushing a surge ahead

like a twin-engine float plane.

Rising on sun-warmed air,

then higher and higher,

catching midday thermals,

he soars with antediluvian grace,

transcending the peak

Of the Mountain Whose Foot is Bathed

in the Waters of the Great River.

This elegant white bird with black wingtips

carries his own sashimi

to the Migration Planning Committee.