BLACK BIRDS AGAINST THE SNOW

So brave they look, lining up along the snowy wire,
not hunched into themselves for warmth the way
the sparrows and other smaller fowl tend to be - no,
these large blackbirds - be they crows or ravens - it's
impossible to tell from this distance and through
such a blizzard -- they're almost standing at attention,
as if waiting for a signal, it seems. I find I cannot look
away.