21st century media brings vicarious thrills
into my Midwest home daily and hourly.

Exotic events and amazing phenomena
from around the world and beyond bombard

Six New Galaxies/Total Solar Eclipse
Massive Zebra Migration/Aurora Borealis

and when exhausted from the excitement
I leave, make a slow circuit around ponds

watch neighborhood cranes pick their way
through marshy waters on slender legs

listen while a red tail hawk cries overhead.

Mary C. Rowin’s poetry, essays and reviews have appeared in a variety of publications such as Hummingbird, Panopoly, Solitary Plover, Stoneboat and Oakwood Literary Magazine. Nominated for a Pushcart, her awards include prizes from The Nebraska Writers Guild and Journal from the Heartland. Mary lives in Middleton, Wisconsin.