Owl

For Clare

the artist, my teacher, my friend

Snowy owl roosts like a Giotto saint

Wisdom's halo, a crown of gold

Salvation spilling phosphorescent

Talons curled firmly above as

Sentinel fish glide in unison

A trinity born in the indigo pool

Painted memory surfaces glorious into the

Sea of the present, a chapel of

Lamentation, a common prayer seen

Wings warm, tucked close

A solitary sign post in the deep

Mitigating anguish in the souls that live

Incandescent yellow irises rim

Dilated pupils absorbing light

Seeing and knowing what others do not

Jan Kather

March 18, 2012

NOTE: This poem was originally written for the Sage Daughters of the Muse poetry chapbook [Arnot Art Museum, Elmira, NY] in response to a piece titled From Confinement: Snowy Owl Icon by regional artist Treacy Ziegler.