Praise to all refuge
To this one kept sacred for birds
(Kept sacred for us)

Praise its hill that used to be an island
From which you can see the thinning channels
And grasses coloring in the dry lakebed

Praise the six AM frost
Praise the gathering shards of ice
Praise the sunsets echoing across the shallow water in every direction

Praise the unworried birds:
The zigzag birds
The leggy supermodel birds
The gossipy squawking birds
The steady nesting birds
The eagles on layover
The blackbirds, the herons, the owls

Praise the worried human visitors
Compel them to action
Grant them solace

Amen.

Note from the poet: When I was five, we moved into a house that directly overlooked the lake that was, then, filled to the brim. For all those years, she shrank while I grew. As an adult, I bought my first home minutes from her shores; I’ve found solace on her banks, meeting her migrating residents, and watching her luminous sunsets. The lake is my best girl and I'm happy for everyone to love her.