Red-Winged Blackbirds

these adams these eves

who after the fall

still live convinced

they have a mandate from god

to put a name

on everything they find

sometimes they get it

just about right

but then

the birds click hello

as you pass

perched in pairs

or in groups

of threes and fours

in late winter

on the limbs

of barren trees

passing through

on their journey

or about to settle in

then you know

even with

our best efforts

to capture a being

with words

these magnificent souls

with small black bodies

with bright red badges

on their wings

are so much more

than the colors

we call them