At first only silhouettes, too distant for detail.
They approach, exhausted from the long journey.
The flight, across miles charted only within them,
is soon to be over for a while.
Do they feel a sense of joy at the sight of the island?
A sense of joy that mirrors what I feel
on my return?
Once again, they are on terra firma.
They surely must feel immeasurable relief.
Now, a search for food and welcome rest.

What fragile forms, yet they endure.
Covered in feathered concoctions of color,
or muted in camouflage hues,
they unleash their voices in glorious song.
They thrill us with their presence,
we who come to witness this mystery.
For us, time and patience may bring
a long awaited gift of sight and sound.
We will tell of the time on Monhegan
when the timeless migration
of season Spring had begun.

R.A. Szostek