Editor’s Note
These pieces were submitted as a pair in response to our 2023 ekphrastic initiative.
Artwork by Nicolas Fay.
Ode to a Cormorant
I. The Cormorant’s Song
Oh, double-breasted cormorant, form so fair
In coastal realms and rivers, you dwell,
And as your seraphic motion cleaves the air
In harmony with a river’s swell
Your opulent guise in flight is quelled
In lustrous form, plumage shades the night,
And the iridescent, winged cloak shines
In shimmering grace, he holds your hallowed form in delight,
As heaven’s stars with tapestry entwine
Each feather, like Phoenix, speaks of rebirth,
You are a cornucopia of nature’s boundless worth
II. The Hunter’s Shadow
In the verdant meadows of your stately reign,
His ignoble shadow, creeping ominously
To wreak havoc, cause endless pain
Incorrigible, destruction of beauty,
Fate’s calamity wrought
His wretched hands hold you rigid, caught
Unsightly forms in rigor mortis, set
And your vivacious grace, now fades
Lamenting your form—annette défaite
Death’s tender grasp, motion ceased, wings flayed
We must cease our avarice—that mars your pose,
From fragile beauty to silenced repose.
Daniel Abramov is a first-year student, originally from NY, with a double major in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Psychology at Penn State Berks. While intent on pursuing a career in the medical field, he will continue to explore his interests in creative writing in the future.
Nicolas Fay is a fourth-year student majoring in Writing and Digital Media with minors in Business and English at Penn State Berks. Foregrounded by an interest in art and the biodiversity of the natural world, his practices span modes and approaches, interweaving analysis with image-making.