renewed hope

finally the head of the osprey female

showed above the high side of the nest

to give me hope of the survival

of this pair that has come each year

for a decade to ritchey road

weeks ago we watched the male

at work reinforcing the sticks and daily

from then perching near or flying off

as though for food for a family we

could not see and were concerned

had not survived the spell of nasty

weather that came down on them

not long after we were sure their eggs

had been laid for the next generation

lizard with deformed tail

lizard with long tail

forked and curled

into small, opposing semicircles

basking in the sun

does he worry about

his deformity?

is he accepted by other lizards?

is he a social outcast

in his world of individualists?

or is he merely warmed by the sun

and watching to catch any near-

flying insects with his agile tongue?