Bird is the Word

Bird is the Word (Anti-nomen)

Scot F. Martin

An avian form
emerges from calcium
carbonate, nesting 
in the mind of God.

tayir 

Flapping, whether flightless 
or flying, all are wingèd.

όrnīs

Beaked or billed,

avem

solid, yet porous bones,

ndege

Soaring, diving, hopping

tori

aquatic & terrestrial

fugol

Feet that perch and paddle, 
walk, run, or grip and pierce.

manu

Prismatic plumage: 
vermilion, orange, 
yellow,green, cerulean, 
indigo, purple.

Tzipor soars
circumnavigating the globe,
to alight on an olive tree.

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Scot F. Martin
Teacher & Poet

Scot has been published in Front Porch Republic, Jesus the Imagination, Stand, and the Ignatian Solidarity Network among others. He teaches high school English and inhabits the Rouge River watershed with his family.

Photography by Yogesh Rahamatkar