The alpine swift, for example,
stays aloft 200 days
The bar-tailed godwit goes 7,000 miles
without water or rest
Swans take off from the pond
tiny eggs in the mud on their feet
and the puddle on the sidewalk
fills with fish
Meanwhile, pigeons roost for a season
in the Os of storefront signs
ShOppers
LOblaws
FreshcO
Their nests of sticks
serviceberry leaves
and paper straws bent by wind
into improbable shapes
of perfect softness
that disintegrate in the rain
