Cormorant
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For a time, it seemed
the silence was forged
in fog, compressing the
tides as if a block of wax
was warmed and spread
out to the horizon.
Or at least as far as
that dark drift of
sludge, a cormorant,
exploiting currents
in sleepy drift.
Soundlessly slipping
below the waterline
like a grief or burden
accustomed to
voiceless vanishings.
It’s a well-perfected
dodge, smooth as
artifice, leaving but
a dimpling in black
dissolve; the silken
folds open and roll
back to calm while it
pursues silver-blue
shoals in watery light.
Later rising,
in phantom ripple,
as a second, lethal
self, yards from
where our eyes
had expected before
the gibbering bolt,
the abrupt, ungainly
wing flap uncrumpling
just above water and
the fumble into flight.
Looking for more poetry?
John Muro
A resident of Connecticut and a lover of all things chocolate, John Muro has authored two volumes of poems - In the Lilac Hour and Pastoral Suite - in 2020 and 2022, respectively. He is a three-time nominee for the Pushcart Prize, a nominee for the Best of the Net Award and, more recently, he received a 2023 Grantchester Award. John's work has appeared in numerous literary journals and anthologies, including Acumen, Barnstorm, Delmarva, Moria, River Heron, Sky Island and the Valparaiso Review.
You may follow John on Instagram.
8 Comments
John Muro makes me want to get outdoors and experience the world he sees. I’m so glad he brings the wonder of life to us to feel with such wonderful descriptions.
Thank you for commenting, Tim. John does the same for us. We’re grateful to work with him and share in the beauty of his world!
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