My Kettle Call (poetry inspired by study of Lucille Clifton)

My Kettle Call 

My lips are thin

sometimes so tight they’re invisible

My eyes can be gray, blue, or brown

and my sight is always keen

My hair is wavy and straight.

For my first professional haircut I asked for wings

Only to be corrected - you mean feathered

I nodded in agreement, but I wanted wings

These thin lips and feathery hair have done me fine

But lately they have hindered my voice

Making my message of understanding

Nothing but a screech in the wind

I sometimes circle alone, 

in the comfort of a warm updraft

Wishing for company

of heart and mind

from the soldiers below

Or at least to be part of a kettle

Bluebirds and eagles,

Sparrows and hawks

Cardinals and ospreys 

But no crows, buzzards or vultures

Let the kettle grow by the day

Let screeches from our thin lips

grow in breadth and width

Building a common thoughtful song

We would use our keen sight and strategic view

To know when to leave our comfortable flight

when to swoop in

If the soldiers desired it so

I would slice  through the sky in silence

Clearing the ground

of thieving rodents

disease carrying insects

And messages of hate.

Though my lips are thin

And my hair feathered

I too have a message

One of support

one of partnership