Darters

" Darters "

by Suzán Jiván
Mom & Mom-
Mom Suzán

Darters
darker markings
slightly forked
turbid waters

sluggish sloths
steady stalkers
migratory
dark morphs

much smaller
long-legged waders
bluish gray
incubated eggs

marsh vegetation
mistaken
for wooden stakes
feet away

buff coloration
breeding range
painful dedication
laid out

like the overly faithful
for unit mates
in the remaining
as shoo-ins
for clear-cut favorites

with no perks
for bad behavior
milked for pathos

galloping gasping
unchanging tactics
continuing back
to a diaspora

darker overall
grappling
dating back
tiles of animals

dead-heat duos
freed of constraints
moistened by rain...