The Silence of the Gonolek; An elegy

The Silence of the Gonolek


One must use her wings with purpose,
and the gonolek knew her mission.
Feet on the ground, she would make her point.

We were dazzled by your crown;
For the world lacked a face sweet as yours
or a heart that burned with such color.

No one would confuse your cry
with any other whistler or canary.
All living things stop breathing to hear your song.

Voice determined, yet spun from silk.
Seamless and soft, you sang us awake
restlessly tangled in sheets of storm clouds.

We shelter on the ground shivering
as the rain slices through the bush branches.
Your demands echo in our brains
though you've finally flown away.

for Miss Horne