Poems by Lorraine Jeffrey

Osprey Missive

by Lorraine Jeffrey

From Canary Spring 2021

Lorraine is a high desert resident of the Great Basin watershed and enjoys snow-capped mountains within walking distance. But her salt-water soul has guided her back many times to her childhood home near the Oregon Coast. She is fascinated by the contrasts of topography, wildlife, plants and the management of water within the two disparate areas.

He fell like God’s hammer,
possibly dropped
in renovating heaven,
and slapped the water
with a sound that snapped
all heads to the lake.

A shiny black gargoyle, of parts
and angles, as if he were built
from an Erector set,

wrestled like a vengeful angel
in swirling water, for dominance.

Then, his great ebony wings
pushed the air down
in one powerful stroke—
he rose high above us,

the silver fish flashing
an unknown distress call
from his comma beak,

serpentine as an interrogative,
hoping to escape
ending a sentence.

First published in Waterways.