Standing tall

on slim black legs,

talons pricking

aged granite,

the Mockingbird

flicks his tail,

cocks his head.

He follows my progress

with pearl-gray eye,

listens intently

when I speak.

And once

he has collected

my words,

my intent,

he parses and restates —

more perfectly,

more succinctly,

more beautifully —

in song.

— C.Birde, 5/15