Loon tells Frigatebird
laugh longwing
Bluethroat and Goose are mating.
Bittern steals Eider’s down
while evil Wryneck’s baking
eggs! Great Auk is dead!
Quail come out from hiding.
Everything’s wrong since Towhee’s
gone and Kittiwake turned
red! Great auk is dead!
Dove is fishing with grebe.
Cedar waxwing’s queen
while quail eats snails
and even goose can sing.
Stop! Great Auk is dead!
I’m sure Nene’s soon to follow.
Frigatebird come and see what’s done
For everything’s quite hollow.
—
Kirsten McAteer is a poet and therapist who resides in Portland, Oregon. She is a runner, hiker, and lover of the outdoors. She holds an MFA in poetry from New York University and her work has appeared in Quartet, Tupelo Quarterly, and other journals. She is currently working on a full-length manuscript.
