March 2023
Bio Note: I continue to keep watch over the local birds and wildlife in my corner of Phoenix. My occasional watercolors represent another way I try to connect with the outdoor visitors and I remain fascinated by the folk legends and mystical associations with birds.
Artist: David Chorlton
The back door opens to
an owl positioned where he stares
down at the darkness
in the posture of an antenna receiving
messages from the spirit world.
He’s still as a memory that won’t let go
of winters past with an icy smile
on the wind’s face, as the last word
in a conversation cut short,
as a day that laughed at tropical rain.
But he’s here now
as though he’s found
the highest rung on Heaven’s ladder.
When he opens up his wings
a cloak of stars spreads out behind him
and after he flies past it there is
a lipstick imprint on the moon.
©2023 David Chorlton