The Cormorant. In Elements.

"The Cormorant in Its Element"

That bony potbellied arrow, wing-pumping along
implacably, with a ramrod's rigid adherence,
airborne, to the horizontal, discloses talents
one would have never guessed at. Plummeting

waterward, big black feet splayed for a landing
gear, slim head turning and turning, vermilion-
striped, this way and that, with a lightning glance
over the shoulder, the cormorant astounding-

ly, in one sleek involuted arabesque, a vertical
turn on a dime, goes into that inimitable
vanishing-and-emergin-from-under-the-briny-

deep act which unlike the works of Homo Houdini,
is performed for reasons that nothing at all
to do with ego, guilt, ambition or even money.

Amy Clampitt

Not too sure of the merits of the poem, ("astounding-ly" seems very clumsy) but it suits the subject & the processing...
I've been wanting to blip a cormorant for a while, & hung around waiting for the classic wings-outstretched pose, but it wasn't in the mood it cooperate.
Another time maybe!

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