Arctic Owl + Winter Moon
Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967), Arctic Owl and Winter Moon, 1960; watercolor on paper, 39 3/4 x 33 inches; Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, Alabama, The Blount Collection
White-Eyes
BY MARY OLIVER
In winter
all the singing is in
the tops of the trees
where the wind-bird
with its white eyes
shoves and pushes
among the branches.
Like any of us
he wants to go to sleep,
but he's restless—
he has an idea,
and slowly it unfolds
from under his beating wings
as long as he stays awake...
