<p class="MsoNormal"><font><i><span style="font-family:Tahoma">from</span></i><span style="font-family:Tahoma;text-transform:uppercase"> Birds of the World Unite</span><span style="font-family:Tahoma"> <br></span></font></p>



<font><span style="font-family:Tahoma;font-variant:small-caps"><br clear="ALL">
</span></font>

<p class="MsoNormal"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma;font-variant:small-caps"> </span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma;text-transform:uppercase">Humboldt
Penguin Meets Brown Pelican </span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma;font-variant:small-caps"> </span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma">in the open</span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma">air—noses</span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma"> </span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma">into breath</span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma">swim mighty</span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma"> </span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma">& light—away</span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma">into the dark</span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma;font-variant:small-caps"> </span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma;font-variant:small-caps"> </span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma;font-variant:small-caps"> </span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma;text-transform:uppercase">Blyth’s Tragopan</span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma"> </span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma">a bright beacon</span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma">oranges of</span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma"> </span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma">loss or rather</span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma">of losing</span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma"> </span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma"> </span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma"> </span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma;text-transform:uppercase">Keel-Billed Toucan</span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma;font-variant:small-caps"> </span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma">yellow light</span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma"> </span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma">sharpened</span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma">against the branches</span></font></p><div class="yj6qo ajU"><div id=":vb" class="ajR" tabindex="0"><img class="ajT" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/images/cleardot.gif"></div>
</div>

<p class="MsoNormal"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma"> </span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma"> </span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font><span style="font-family:Tahoma"><br></span></font></p>

<font style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif" size="2"><b>Amber
Nelson</b><font> is the co-founder and poetry editor of the online journal
and chapbook press alice blue review and alice blue books. Her first
full-length book, <i>In Anima: Urgency</i>
is forthcoming from Coconut Books (2013).</font></font><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>RealPoetik<br><a href="http://www.realpoetik.org">www.realpoetik.org</a><br>