“Vogel” by Sonne; June 29, 2021

Feeling the stretch and spread of wings
As they unfurl from my sides.
Strong quills expand and contract,
Like extra digits from my clawed hands.
Crest rises and lowers with the ebb and flow.
Iridescence shimmers across feathers;
Catching and reflecting light to unveil a spectrum.
Colors swim and swirl like oil in sunlight.

Feet raise, sway, and bounce
To the rhythm that resonates through my heart and mind.
The world spins as feathered body twirls.
Clawed toes dip gently into the soft soil beneath them.
Head gazes above as drops from heaven begin to fall.
Water joins the dance and races its way downward,
Across delicate yet strong keratinous shapes.

Sound bursts from throat in melody,
In harmony with the music and dance.
Vocals are sent gushing around to the void;
No audience present to hear their beauty.
This dance and song never reaches the eyes nor ears of anyone,
Whether to join or merely spectate.

Wings upon the back stretch as far as they can;
Tips reaching toward the sky.
Feathers embody the light of life that shines above.
Voices of echoing choirs cry out
From deep within the chest;
Lungs forcing sound till they nearly collapse.

Blend and separate, emulsify;
These beings merge in their similarity,
Resonating with avian energy.
Yet their distinctions ring loudly:
One of ancient animality,
The other of ethereal protectors and sentinels.

Four wings are held upon this shifting body;
Only one pair for flight and guarding,
The other for dance and gliding.
As they bend and stretch,
Feelings of positivity, of freedom, comfort, and purpose emerge.
Though these creatures are not the same,
They sing their connection through body and voice.
Sky and ground, air and earth,
Corporeal and incorporeal.
Hope and the vivaciousness of life
Become their unity.