Egrets
On Kauai, white egret hitchhikers
cling to furry backs of red cattle,
follow golf course lawnmowers,
a daily procession of cultish devotees.
Snowy plumed foragers till crimson mud
beneath scarlet ginger, pink hibiscus.
One quarrels with adolescent nene geese,
golden tail feathered roosters.
Hanalei marsh grass shivers as ocean wind
blusters ashore, dislodges tiny green lizards
who flee yellow icepick beaks
of ravenous avian mob.
Storm clouds spatter silver over
Princeville palm and banana trees.
Clumps of ghostly birds shuffle
through ruby lava grit puddles.
January 2024
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