In the Painted Map of Macuilxóchitl
A bull and a horse stand on a riverbank
(The horse has his front feet in the water)
They both look pleased yet there is
Something sidelong in their gazes.
Indeed, all the pictured animals
Look knowing except for a bird
Resting near a hilltop cross,
Trying to decide if he is an eagle
Or a crow or, just possibly, a dove.
He's been thinking about this since
1580 when the artist invited him to sit;
What need of haste? When he knows
What sort of bird he is, he'll fly off
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