Late-Migration | birdie
may the winds be softer this year.
Wrapt in a wintry sheet,
lay orphaned wings and beaks,
sadly forgotten.
Trumpeter Swans are birds of strong traditions; where cygnets learn from their parents about the winter migration, and pass this information to their young. So when an unexpected snowstorm froze the rivers and lakes of Greater Yellowstone in 1988, many itinerants of the flock starved to death. Most of the perished were the youngest cygnets, as their limited experience and frail bodies could not keep their hearts warm. Some died as they nestled between their guardians.
The chilled remains of these stormbound chicks were buffeted and thrown repeatedly against the shores of the icy lakes. Ravens frequented those shores. In the following springtime, their feathers blew across the reeds like snow.
i wish you a softer storm.
-v.
