Marilyn Houston, poet
Karen Coleman, artist

The Rescue

I see them through trees
A-ways beyond my window
When I pull the curtain back

Looking north from here
Their tufts grow simple, clean,
Beautiful, though untended

There might have been a house there once
Before the gray woods came
Before the highway sounds
Before fences fell

Sometimes, from the corner
Of my eye I think I see
Someone walking there

I suppose it’s just a shadow passing
A trick of sunlight on bark
A bird spooked by wind, a deer

Or, perhaps the soul
Of one who still lives there
Wondering why I’m planning

To sneak into his garden
To rescue orphaned daffodils
And take them home

Marilyn Houston

With measured step
She walks the glassy marsh
With dignity
Like a too-tall bride

Hesitant, keen-eyed
Her graceful feathered dress
Her mannered choreography
Displays an elegant demeanor
Consistent, shall we say

With thought provoking philosophies
and private tutelage,
Resplendent beauties
Wearing perfect pearls upon
Their well-bred slender necks

Plumage set just-so
With an attitude to match
Head held high expecting
The very best of everything
An air of mystery and
Entitlement upon her face

Marilyn Houston
Inspired by Karen Coleman’s drawing “Sandhill Crane”