Trammel by Emily Bilman

In the clearing, hunters hidden behind

bush-shelters dug a dozen duck decoys

in deep mud, imitated their cries and songs

to shoot them. Ducks fell one by one

through tricks, lures, and alloys

while an eagle snatched a falling prey.

The sculptor chose exquisite cedar

wood to sculpt a duck: the  wings

were chiseled, striated, and painted

in iridescent green while the body

was shaped with burgundy redwood.

The eyes made of dark glass beads

contrasted with the large orange beak.

May hear the snow yield to the sage

and the sweet saxifrage as the pewter

gong heralds an era of pastoral ease

like a deep-set mirror of recognition.

Dr. Emily Bilman is a widely published poet who teaches poetry in her Stanza group in Geneva. Her three poetry books, A Woman By A Well (2015), Resilience (2015), and The Threshold of Broken Waters (2018) were published by Troubador, UK and Modern Ekphrasis by Peter Lang in 2013.  Her thesis is entitled The Psychodynamics of Poetry. She blogs on http://www.emiliebilman.wix.com/emily-bilman