THE BLACK-BROWED BABBLER

Unseen for 170 years, it returns
as though reincarnated. Extinct, then not,
it appears undercover, surreptitious
in the lowland forest lee.

An elusive puff of grey and tan, cradled
in the bowl of one’s hand. 

The Babbler, extinct—then not? Gone forever
then here again undercover, surreptitious,
safe in nature’s haunt? 

The trees, complicit in its disappearance,
stand stoic as we wonder:
“why have you let us mourn so long?”

Copywrite: 2012