Poems of Christianne Balk

1. Birds, Converging 3/19/2012
2. Departure 1/1/2004
3. Lauds for St. Germaine Cousin (1579-1601) 1/1/2004
4. Shorthorns 1/1/2004
5. The Kitchen Shears Speak 1/13/2003

Birds, Converging

Sun salved, we sit on the front porch, careful
when we speak, watching the crows swagger near
the property line, dabbing – what. A nest
of grubs? Ice-wintered berries? New grass shoots?
Such purposeful pecking. They pause, sky-tipped.
Resume their work. Curious, we step close –
a starling twitches at their feet. One eye
gone, the other blinking fast, rib cage open
to the sun as the snow unravels from

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