finding new species
traveling while painting birds
heron on the shore
captured for posterity
life’s work of nature lover
This tanka is my response to the prompt for NaPoWriMo,net Day 24, which is to write a poem inspired by a reference book. I seem to be in a Great Blue Heron groove lately, so I pulled out my priceless copy of John J. Audubon’s Birds of America (Don’t I wish!) and turned to Plate 211 to view Audubon’s painting and read his description of this magnificent bird.
Image source: audubon.org
rivrvlogr 
The New York Historical Society has some of the originals on display. Endlessly fascinating. And of course Audubon lived in my neighborhood and is buried in Trinity Cemetery, still an active cemetery (Ed Koch is buried there). There is an organization that does paintings of endangered birds on local buildings in Audubon’s honor. Your poem is a good tribute to that life’s work that is so much integrated with how we look at birds. (K)
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Thank you, Kerfe. I have a biography of Audubon. His story has always fascinated me.
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Wonderful! ❤
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Thanks!
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