if only we seek beauty, please explain to me

Prairie Dog PoV - somewhere in Colorado.

if only we seek beauty, please explain to me

sudden and raucous 
boughs gothic blackening
crowbody and synchronous
that texture of funeral

prairie dog at attention
in direction with
beauty bright, broiling
and reach

they could have spoken 
any way and yet
they chose to sing

for those ants who
pursue unknown over
pheromone and 
that marmot yawp
making the valley over
and the stream

---

Hello!

Over the last few months, I’ve had two key moments of observation that spurned this poem.

1. While visiting family in Colorado I noticed that all of the prairie dogs (of which there are many) are always facing in the direction of the most beautiful view. Often ALL directions would have been a good choice, but even still they chose the one with the most majesty, interesting sky, etc, Little monks of the plains - meditative and holy (ha).

2. We witnessed a crow funeral the other day - hundreds of crows arriving in a tree near our house and cawing in unison for ~10 minutes. Even their breaks between caws were in time. They were all gazing at a still crow on the ground. I also recently read It Lasts for Ever and then It’s Over which prominently features a dead crow.

Marmots are similar - always seeking out a sublime vantage. What a world.

With Gratitude,