Suzanne S. Rancourt
Tuning Up
Wild turkeys and woodcocks assembled
as a cluck of claves
Partridge paradiddle their wings
drummed up the earth of dust among greening princess pine
downed birch, and goldthread
A fourth generation of blue jays blared their genetically awkward call
more like an adolescent male
singing an indecisive string of notes
in the key of cracks, yodel, and warble
We’ve all shared this space
long enough to recognize each other
long enough for returning hummingbirds
to sit still in the cherry tree watching, listening
while I pray
We listen to one another even when everyone goes silent
for the solo of hawks who wait for me
to place fingers in my mouth and call back
Ms. Rancourt is a multi-modal artist of Abenaki/Huron decent. She has work appearing in Tupelo Press Native Voices Anthology, Bright Hill Press 25th Anniversary Anthology, Dawnland Voices 2.0 #4, Northern New England Review, Bear Review, Three Drops Press, Snapdragon Journal, mgversion2>datura, Sirsee, Slipstream, Collections of Poetry and Prose issues War, and Empowerment, Muddy River Poetry Review, Ginosko, Journal of Military Experience, Cimarron Review, Callaloo, numerous anthologies, translations, and text books. Her book, Billboard in the Clouds was the winner of the Native Writers’ Circle of the Americas First Book Award. Her book, murmurs at the gate, is scheduled for release May 2019, Unsolicited Press. Ms. Rancourt is a veteran.
Tuning Up
Wild turkeys and woodcocks assembled
as a cluck of claves
Partridge paradiddle their wings
drummed up the earth of dust among greening princess pine
downed birch, and goldthread
A fourth generation of blue jays blared their genetically awkward call
more like an adolescent male
singing an indecisive string of notes
in the key of cracks, yodel, and warble
We’ve all shared this space
long enough to recognize each other
long enough for returning hummingbirds
to sit still in the cherry tree watching, listening
while I pray
We listen to one another even when everyone goes silent
for the solo of hawks who wait for me
to place fingers in my mouth and call back
Ms. Rancourt is a multi-modal artist of Abenaki/Huron decent. She has work appearing in Tupelo Press Native Voices Anthology, Bright Hill Press 25th Anniversary Anthology, Dawnland Voices 2.0 #4, Northern New England Review, Bear Review, Three Drops Press, Snapdragon Journal, mgversion2>datura, Sirsee, Slipstream, Collections of Poetry and Prose issues War, and Empowerment, Muddy River Poetry Review, Ginosko, Journal of Military Experience, Cimarron Review, Callaloo, numerous anthologies, translations, and text books. Her book, Billboard in the Clouds was the winner of the Native Writers’ Circle of the Americas First Book Award. Her book, murmurs at the gate, is scheduled for release May 2019, Unsolicited Press. Ms. Rancourt is a veteran.