[Lyric] Flamingo Watching (Kay Ryan)

Wherever the flamingo goes
She brings a city’s worth
Of furbelows. She seems
Unnatural by nature —
Too vivid and peculiar
A structure to be pretty
And flexible to the point
Of oddity. Perched on
Those legs, anything she does
Seems like an act. Descending
On her egg or draping her head
Along her back, she’s
Too exact and sinuous
To convince an audience
She’s serious. The natural elect
They think, would be less pink
Less able to relax their necks
Less flamboyant in general
They privately expect that it’s some
Poorly jointed bland grey animal
With mitts for hands
Whom God protects