What eloquent Brit or Scot or Irish bard

witnessing the swelling shifting tsunami

of wings filling the sunset sky with swooping

gliding raving magnificence was first

to call it a murmuration of starlings

who christened the first peep of chickens or dubbed

a squawking spurt of color a pandemonium of parrots

was it a lyrical zoologist roaming linguist wayward shepherd

or drunken poet who stood on the plain as a thundering herd

approached and just before being crushed into oblivion

had the wherewithal to pull from his or her pocket a crumpled

bit of paper and scribble down the phrase a crash of rhinos

like God touching Adam fingertip to fingertip we christen

these feathered coteries baptize these beastly tribes

some ancient master of monikers deemed eagles too solemn

and fierce in the solitude of the hunt to gather for frivolous

socializing calling their meeting a convocation while larks

in elegance form an exaltation vain peacocks an ostentation

and swans circling a lake of blood a long-necked lamentation

emus may be a mindless mob

and pipers just a poverty

but so do human animals congregate in camaraderie

assemble in communion and are christened accordingly

a hastiness of cooks wields a flurry of blurry blades a sea

of consecrated habits swells to a superfluity of nuns while

waiting on the sidelines of worship a bench of bishops

perhaps this silver-tongued tribute of naming arises

from the unbridled power of collective creatures

the warm- and red-blooded Word forming and

informing scream of swifts murder of magpies

wake of buzzards piteousness of doves

butterflies a rabble effervescent babble

zeal of zebras leap of leopards!