Ptarmigans

I love Tieta in the morning

the ptarmigans would be talking
down in the field there during mating
season—motioning with his hand—
in the berries saying

come here! come here! come here!
where? where? where?

over here! over here! over here!

I love Walt, to which he replies
you make me happy
with your love

because love comes from God
and God is love

and that blue heron is so quick
he caught the fish in midair after dropping it
before it hit the water again

they come here some days
more than others walking
in the water

I love Tieta in the morning
after a banana at eight o’clock
and soup at five

when she sleeps most of the day
where the air is cool up here
not like in Bellevue where

other birds fly up to the branch really fast
but the hummingbird does not do that
it hovers over here methodically,
stays beside expectantly

where? where? where?
I love Tieta in the morning
to which she replies

I love Walt.
I love.

Luke Janicki lives in Seattle, Washington. His book Gunny Sack was a semi-finalist for The 2026 Hudson Prize at Black Lawrence Press. He was nominated for Best of the Net 2025. He has published poetry in Trampset, Funicular Magazine, Ghost City Review, JMWW, The Milk House, and other publications. He holds a B.A. from Gonzaga University and an M.Ed. from the University of Notre Dame.