Praise

It is not yet time for singing.
Although I could allow this lake stroking the shore as song.
I feel a tenderness towards the small stones under my feet.
That’s a good sign.
And gratitude for the sun warming my neck.
I am learning the names of birds.
At the pond last week,
a soft-colored green bird with a white stripe down its head.
A widgeon.
And just now, a small shore bird, black with hints of red at the back of its neck,
hops across the wave foam, pert and legged like a gymnast.
It has a name.
For praise, one needs vocabulary,
to know the difference between a call and a song,
and that birds that sing are among the passerines.