  {"id":3853,"date":"2023-04-21T01:00:01","date_gmt":"2023-04-21T05:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/?p=3853"},"modified":"2023-04-21T09:00:50","modified_gmt":"2023-04-21T13:00:50","slug":"moore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/2023\/04\/21\/moore\/","title":{"rendered":"Art &amp; Poetry Series: 4 Great Blues, Great Blue; Caw-Caw-Caw, Luster; Osprey with Mackerel, Ode to an Osprey; Northern Saw-Whet Owl, Saw-Whet Owl; Dark Angels, Shags and Solitude"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>By Leslie Moore\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>4 Great Blues<\/h3>\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/4-Great-Blues_Final-scaled.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-3854 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/4-Great-Blues_Final-scaled-e1680702580637-562x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"562\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/4-Great-Blues_Final-scaled-e1680702580637-562x1024.jpg 562w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/4-Great-Blues_Final-scaled-e1680702580637-165x300.jpg 165w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/4-Great-Blues_Final-scaled-e1680702580637-768x1400.jpg 768w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/4-Great-Blues_Final-scaled-e1680702580637-842x1536.jpg 842w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/4-Great-Blues_Final-scaled-e1680702580637-1123x2048.jpg 1123w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/4-Great-Blues_Final-scaled-e1680702580637-77x140.jpg 77w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/4-Great-Blues_Final-scaled-e1680702580637-317x578.jpg 317w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/4-Great-Blues_Final-scaled-e1680702580637-423x771.jpg 423w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/4-Great-Blues_Final-scaled-e1680702580637-634x1156.jpg 634w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/4-Great-Blues_Final-scaled-e1680702580637-846x1542.jpg 846w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/4-Great-Blues_Final-scaled-e1680702580637-951x1734.jpg 951w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/4-Great-Blues_Final-scaled-e1680702580637.jpg 1267w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 320px) 85vw, (max-width: 768px) 67vw, (max-width: 1024px) 62vw,562px\" \/><\/a><\/h3>\n<h3>Great Blue<\/h3>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em>Ardea herodias\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The heron lifts off<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">its granite pedestal<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">with primordial<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">grandeur,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">a pterodactyl<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">come back<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">to life.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ponderous<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">but aloft,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">it skims the bay<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">with giant<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">wingbeats,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">head tucked,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">neck coiled,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">legs trailing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I too want<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">to rise from<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">this rocky shore,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">redeemed,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">and flap into<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">the great blue<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">beyond.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Caw-Caw-Caw<\/h3>\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/Caw-Caw-Caw_Final-scaled.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-3875 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/Caw-Caw-Caw_Final-scaled-e1680702545211-1024x718.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"718\" srcset=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/Caw-Caw-Caw_Final-scaled-e1680702545211-1024x718.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/Caw-Caw-Caw_Final-scaled-e1680702545211-300x210.jpg 300w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/Caw-Caw-Caw_Final-scaled-e1680702545211-768x538.jpg 768w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/Caw-Caw-Caw_Final-scaled-e1680702545211-1536x1077.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/Caw-Caw-Caw_Final-scaled-e1680702545211-2048x1436.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/Caw-Caw-Caw_Final-scaled-e1680702545211-105x74.jpg 105w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/Caw-Caw-Caw_Final-scaled-e1680702545211-317x222.jpg 317w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/Caw-Caw-Caw_Final-scaled-e1680702545211-423x297.jpg 423w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/Caw-Caw-Caw_Final-scaled-e1680702545211-634x444.jpg 634w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/Caw-Caw-Caw_Final-scaled-e1680702545211-846x593.jpg 846w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/Caw-Caw-Caw_Final-scaled-e1680702545211-951x667.jpg 951w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/Caw-Caw-Caw_Final-scaled-e1680702545211-1268x889.jpg 1268w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 320px) 85vw, (max-width: 768px) 67vw, (max-width: 1024px) 62vw,1024px\" \/><\/a><\/h3>\n<h3>Luster<\/h3>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><em>Corvus brachyrhynchos<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When she comes in<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">for a landing,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">tail fanned,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">a bright band of white<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">bisects black feathers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When she takes off,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">the flight feathers<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">in her wings<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">flash ivory.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It\u2019s not the glance<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">of sunlight off<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">ebony plumes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Not the iridescence<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">of pitch-dark feathering<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">collecting and reflecting<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">the colors of the sky\u2013<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">indigo, lavender, pearl.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">She\u2019s not a white-collared crow<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">blown hither from South Africa<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">in a cross-Atlantic gale.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">No, this piebald crow<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">is an exotic. She flocks<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">with common crows<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">in City Park, zebra striped<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">in the melanin-rich murder,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">an undreamed bird<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">in a familiar landscape.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Osprey with Mackerel<\/h3>\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/OspreywMackerel_Final-scaled.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-3936 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/OspreywMackerel_Final-scaled-e1680702513703-1024x712.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"712\" srcset=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/OspreywMackerel_Final-scaled-e1680702513703-1024x712.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/OspreywMackerel_Final-scaled-e1680702513703-300x209.jpg 300w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/OspreywMackerel_Final-scaled-e1680702513703-768x534.jpg 768w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/OspreywMackerel_Final-scaled-e1680702513703-1536x1068.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/OspreywMackerel_Final-scaled-e1680702513703-2048x1424.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/OspreywMackerel_Final-scaled-e1680702513703-105x73.jpg 105w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/OspreywMackerel_Final-scaled-e1680702513703-317x220.jpg 317w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/OspreywMackerel_Final-scaled-e1680702513703-423x294.jpg 423w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/OspreywMackerel_Final-scaled-e1680702513703-634x441.jpg 634w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/OspreywMackerel_Final-scaled-e1680702513703-846x588.jpg 846w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/OspreywMackerel_Final-scaled-e1680702513703-951x661.jpg 951w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/OspreywMackerel_Final-scaled-e1680702513703-1268x882.jpg 1268w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 320px) 85vw, (max-width: 768px) 67vw, (max-width: 1024px) 62vw,1024px\" \/><\/a><\/h3>\n<h3>Ode to an Osprey<\/h3>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ossifragus,<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> bone-breaker<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Oh to be so far sighted<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">as to see what I want<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">from aloft\u2013<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">a glint in bright waters.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Oh to be so bold<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">as to fold my wings<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">into free fall\u2014<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">no hesitation, no doubts.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">To be chillingly exact,<br \/>\n<\/span>raising my wings,<br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">lifting my legs,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">in the last breath.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Deft enough<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">to rake the surface<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">with sharp, hooked claws,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">barbed pads on the soles of my feet.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">To sweep<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">what I\u2019m after<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">right out of the water<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">and then rise<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">on wild downbeats,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">shimmy my load<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">into alignment\u2014<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">head first, no drag.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Oh to wing<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">back to my eyrie,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">catch clinched<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">in steel talons.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Northern Saw-Whet Owl<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/Northern-Saw-Whet-Owl_Final-scaled.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-3937 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/Northern-Saw-Whet-Owl_Final-scaled-e1681482871476-1010x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1010\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/Northern-Saw-Whet-Owl_Final-scaled-e1681482871476-1010x1024.jpg 1010w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/Northern-Saw-Whet-Owl_Final-scaled-e1681482871476-296x300.jpg 296w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/Northern-Saw-Whet-Owl_Final-scaled-e1681482871476-768x778.jpg 768w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/Northern-Saw-Whet-Owl_Final-scaled-e1681482871476-105x106.jpg 105w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/Northern-Saw-Whet-Owl_Final-scaled-e1681482871476-317x321.jpg 317w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/Northern-Saw-Whet-Owl_Final-scaled-e1681482871476-423x429.jpg 423w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/Northern-Saw-Whet-Owl_Final-scaled-e1681482871476-634x643.jpg 634w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/Northern-Saw-Whet-Owl_Final-scaled-e1681482871476-846x857.jpg 846w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/Northern-Saw-Whet-Owl_Final-scaled-e1681482871476-951x964.jpg 951w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/Northern-Saw-Whet-Owl_Final-scaled-e1681482871476-1268x1285.jpg 1268w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/Northern-Saw-Whet-Owl_Final-scaled-e1681482871476-32x32.jpg 32w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/Northern-Saw-Whet-Owl_Final-scaled-e1681482871476.jpg 1486w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 320px) 85vw, (max-width: 768px) 67vw, (max-width: 1024px) 62vw,1010px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Saw-Whet Owl<\/h3>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Aegolius acadicus<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So small he makes two meals<br \/>\n<\/span>of a field mouse, yet his<br \/>\n<i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">beeeep<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 beeeep<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0beeeep<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">like an 18-wheeler backing up<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">carries for half a mile.<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Once I heard one call<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">from a cabin on the coast<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">and it sounded like the hiss<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">of a radiator releasing steam<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">only the cabin had no radiator<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">no electricity<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">no running water<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">only candles and kerosene lamps<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">rain barrels under downspouts<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">an outhouse<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">and a tiny saw-whet owl saying<br \/>\n<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">tssssssst<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0tssssssst<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 tssssssst<br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">from a white pine<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">in response to her mate.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Dark Angels*<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/Dark-Angels_Final-scaled.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-3879 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/Dark-Angels_Final-scaled-e1681482932365-1024x688.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"688\" srcset=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/Dark-Angels_Final-scaled-e1681482932365-1024x688.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/Dark-Angels_Final-scaled-e1681482932365-300x201.jpg 300w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/Dark-Angels_Final-scaled-e1681482932365-768x516.jpg 768w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/Dark-Angels_Final-scaled-e1681482932365-1536x1032.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/Dark-Angels_Final-scaled-e1681482932365-2048x1376.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/Dark-Angels_Final-scaled-e1681482932365-105x71.jpg 105w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/Dark-Angels_Final-scaled-e1681482932365-317x213.jpg 317w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/Dark-Angels_Final-scaled-e1681482932365-423x284.jpg 423w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/Dark-Angels_Final-scaled-e1681482932365-634x426.jpg 634w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/Dark-Angels_Final-scaled-e1681482932365-846x568.jpg 846w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/Dark-Angels_Final-scaled-e1681482932365-951x639.jpg 951w, https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/254\/2023\/04\/Dark-Angels_Final-scaled-e1681482932365-1268x852.jpg 1268w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 320px) 85vw, (max-width: 768px) 67vw, (max-width: 1024px) 62vw,1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Shags and Solitude<\/h3>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cormorant, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">corvus marinus<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, &#8220;sea raven&#8221;\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">17 shags balance on the high wire that spans<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0the Passagassawakeag at the Narrows<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">where the Upper Bridge used to be.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They shuffle flat webbed feet, better suited<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0to swimming than perching, teeter,<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">face downriver, beaks tilted into the breeze.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Some preen feathers with hooked bills.<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Others hang inky wings out to dry. They croak<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">companionably. Shit milky streams of guano.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A mile upriver, on a quiet inlet, a lone shag<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0straddles a dead limb over the water.<br \/>\n<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Maybe the others were mean to him, <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tom<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We chuckle, but I want to stand with this bird.<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Escape the crowd, its glib camaraderie.<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Let my thoughts slow to the flow of the river.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>*Dark Angels has previously appeared in the Fall 2022 issue of\u00a0<em>The Cafe Review<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Leslie Moore\u00a0 &nbsp; 4 Great Blues Great Blue Ardea herodias\u00a0 The heron lifts off its granite pedestal with primordial grandeur, a pterodactyl come back to life. Ponderous but aloft, it skims the bay with giant wingbeats, head tucked, neck coiled, legs trailing. I too want to rise from this rocky shore, redeemed, and flap [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3853","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-spire-2023-issue"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Art &amp; Poetry Series: 4 Great Blues, Great Blue; Caw-Caw-Caw, Luster; Osprey with Mackerel, Ode to an Osprey; Northern Saw-Whet Owl, Saw-Whet Owl; Dark Angels, Shags and Solitude - The Maine Journal of Conservation and Sustainability - 91爆料<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/spire\/2023\/04\/21\/moore\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Art &amp; Poetry Series: 4 Great Blues, Great Blue; Caw-Caw-Caw, Luster; Osprey with Mackerel, Ode to an Osprey; Northern Saw-Whet Owl, Saw-Whet Owl; Dark Angels, Shags and Solitude - The Maine Journal of Conservation and Sustainability - 91爆料\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Leslie Moore\u00a0 &nbsp; 4 Great Blues Great Blue Ardea herodias\u00a0 The heron lifts off its granite pedestal with primordial grandeur, a pterodactyl come back to life. 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