—a villanelle

Tundra swans land on a cold, windy day.
The bevy traverse the bluster of storms.
Spring’s a regatta, a feathered ballet.

The lake-ice melts in mosaic-like ways.
Surface sheets drift as if freewheeling floors.
Tundra swans land on a cold, windy day.

Pelicans sail on the warm April waves.
Elegance glides near the greening of shores.
Spring’s a regatta, a feathered ballet.

Ruddy ducks visit the first week of May.
Stiff tails appear like a paddling of oars.
Tundra swans land on a cold, windy day.

White morphs resemble The Geese by Monet.
A raft of loons call as a herring gull soars.
Spring’s a regatta, a feathered ballet.

Buffleheads float midst the plumage-parade.
Like buoys, they bob in black and white form.
Tundra swans land on a cold, windy day.
Spring’s a regatta, a feathered ballet.

Jeannie E. Roberts has authored seven books. Her most recent collection, As If Labyrinth – Pandemic Inspired Poems, was released in 2021 by Kelsay Books. Her eighth book, The Ethereal Effect – A Collection of Villanelles, is forthcoming from Kelsay Books (2023). She’s an artist, editor, and a Best of the Net award nominee.