Friday's Whims of the Time Traveler 28.0: November 24th, 2008

Peacock
by Belinda Roddie

One gray morning, I look out my window to see a peacock –

No, not a peacock – someone dressed like a peacock –

A little boy, in fact, all bedecked in blues and greens

And soft blacks – soft black! Even black is gentle

Against him, a parade, a flourish of grandeur

As he marches about the yard, feathers all on display –

It is only when his red-faced father arrives ruffled

Like the angry owl prepared to pluck apart the smaller bird

That the color fades, the magnificent tail recedes

As the peacock is a meek little boy again in the morning shadows

The work you see here has not been edited nor altered since November 24th, 2008.