Snowy Owl by Lisa Pellegrini

Amber pools buried in white plumage,

slits of fire whose warmth

escapes the world's notice,

blink with the grace of a

butterfly in flight.

Talons curled over scaly branches

prepare for their daily dream.

Invisible dancers skip across feathers,

creating miniature fans like

the fins of tropical fish.

He rotates his head toward the blue.

The branch shakes as he departs.

He is a floating sheet of paper,

adrift on a hammock of air,

weightless in a world that

gasps in wonderment one minute

and forgets the next.

 Lisa Pellegrini, USA