White-Tailed Kite
By Alane K. Dashner of Lodi, CA
rhyme scheme and meter are borrowed from, The Inferno by Dante Alighieri (1321)
“Our Death now hovers up above!” the mice
in terror cry. Dark Prince am I in shining white
Their Angel, spread-winged, fixed against the skies
My panicked congregation squeaks in fright
My red eyes linger, choosing who will rise
to heaven in the belly of the Kite
I judge that this one lives and this one dies
Their transubstantiation sets them free
Yet White-Tailed Kite the rodents demonize
All year around in the Delta. If you see a large, mostly white bird hanging in one place high above grasslands, it’s a White-Tailed Kite facing into the wind. You can almost imagine that it’s being held with a kite-string. With a gentle flutter of wings to hold its position, the head-down Kite steadily looks at a patch of ground until it sees prey. Kites are solitary during breeding season but roost together in large groups the rest of the year.