I know migration
period has started when
the first brown shrike
arrives—
then comes the
swallows and kingfishers ,
egrets and herons,
other winged friends.
They know when to
flee in time, away
from the cold to bask
in the Tropics
like clockwork.
They know when to
leave a stop
for the destination.
I watch them come,
and I also watch them go—
my winged friends,
egrets and herons,
swallows and kingfishers,
and lastly, the first
brown shrike.
Emmanuel Lacadin writes poetry, essays, and flash fiction. Some of his literary works are forthcoming or have appeared in Aster Lit, the Journal of Southeast Asian Ecocriticism, Cordite Poetry Review, Ani, Heights, Anak Sastra, Katitikan, Philippine Daily Inquirer, and 聲韻詩刊 Voice & Verse Poetry Magazine. In 2020, he was awarded the Loyola Schools Award for the Arts in Creative Writing (Poetry) and the Joseph Mulry Award for Literary Excellence. At present, he is an independent science writer and graduate student of Conservation and Restoration Ecology.
