The Rime of the Ancient Sandhill Crane
By Alane K. Dashner of Lodi, CA
A ghostly tale inspired by Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” (1798)
Come to the marsh, oh Delta Guest
to understand the Crane
Binoculars will aid your quest
Warm coat for winter rain
Arrive late day to see them walk
alone in search of grain
At sunset with a ratt’ling squawk
all rise in one refrain
Their necks stretch forward, legs straight back
They’re soon all streaming home
A sky-borne river grey and black
they land in dusky gloam
Cranes settle, settle ankle-deep
Now daylight’s truly gone
Safe from coyote’s splashing creep
tall sentries wait for dawn
Their spell is cast, oh Delta Guest
The witching hour’s here
Your car key lost, your pounding chest,
your hackles rise in fear
What were you thinking, Delta Guest,
to come here all alone?
Beware, take care in darkness lest
you meet the Sandhill Crone
You meet the Sandhill Crone
She draws you with her skinny claw
“I am the past,” quoth she“
Your visit here I long foresaw – now hear my history
“When pterodactyl from the sky fell to its bitter end
“I rose from fields of wheat and rye on feathered wings’ new trend
“I flew while hominids stood up on shaking hindmost feet
“Then Miwoks, Yokuts, tule elk flashed by in one wingbeat
“Miners, farmers, IT techs are but a blink of time
“Eternal Sandhill’s less complex – we are Life’s dance sublime
“You too will fade, oh Delta Guest, while my broad wings beat strong
“The coiled windpipe in my chest will clatter ancient song.”
The spell now breaks, the Crone has fled
Your car key’s on its chain
Dear Delta Guest, awake in bed
You understand the Crane
Winter-time visitor to the Delta. An ancient bird, the Sandhill Crane is royalty in the California Delta. Its anatomy is unusual in that its trachea is so long that it loops inside the chest like a French horn, creating calls that can be heard miles away. In September, large “herds” begin arriving to the California Delta from their northern breeding grounds. Locally we see both the Greater Sandhill and the Lesser Sandhill – they differ in height and length of beak. The Sandhills forage for grain in our fields during the day and gather at night in shallow water, attuned to any splashes from predators. The herds begin leaving in February for Oregon, Washington, Canada, and Alaska.