(Final,3/20/2024 18x12, 300 dpi, 72,530 strokes)

And Then One Flew By

(Long-billed Curlew)

And then one flew by.

With broad wings extended
catching and reflecting light,
a Curlew’s feather patterns are revealed
in contrasting russets, grays, and inky blacks.
The improbable bill no longer improbable.

I hold my breath. What a sight.