An eerie call echoes over the lake.
An answer nearby.
Two black silhouettes
on the water.
Gliding toward each other.
Loons calling up the sun from below the horizon.
Pink and yellow shafts
Reaching through the trees.
The sun responds to the call in its full glory.
Red loon eyes scan the lake,
Searching, seeking.
Known to some as The Great Northern Diver,
To the Chippewa as Mang — most handsome of birds,
And to the Abenaki as Medawinia —the shaman bird.
The loons dive as one, head first.
The plunge sends out concentric waves,
The early morning sunlight reflects
Blues and greens off the peaks and troughs
Of the spreading ripples.
The couple surface together,
each head straight up,
A glint of shiny silver hangs from their bills.
They found what they were seeking.
Mated for life, the pair head into the cattails and reeds.
Later, the couple emerges from the tall greenery,
Each with a small bundle
Of fluff on their backs.
The loon siblings no longer need the nest.
The two young loons or loonettes jump into the water,
Frolicking and splashing between their parents.
The sun is traveling to the west,
Now just above the tree line.
The loons call out,
Giving the sun permission to rest, the day of the loon is ending.
The family of four zigzag across the watery mirror,
Now lit by the stars and the full moon.
The night of the loon has begun.
