I am heartened
in this vast lonely land
by the room for affection.

Tundra swans swim in twos,
mule deer mingle, then muddle,
sandhill cranes remain faithful.

Children rush in like flyway birds
carrying songs into fine, thin air,
prepared to wing it any which way.

Angela Allen
Frenchglen, Harney County, Ore.
March 2, 2009