July Anomalies A-Z: Ibis

Who gives the ibis wisdom

or gives the rooster understanding? -Job 38: 36

In the spring, when the moon is changing,
the winged serpents of Arabia rise in flight,
a knot of venomous snakes and spines,
     but the Ibis,
sacred bird of the Egyptian moon,
refuses to let them pass
and for this he is venerated there.

In the summer, when the moon is fat,
the Ibis stalks the marshlands
measuring the earth
in one cubit strides,
as a scientist, a lonely mathematician,
a practitioner of lunar magic. 

In the winter, when the moon is obscured
by clouds swollen with rain,
he is the physician,
the face that hears.
The sound of his song
creates the four frog ponds.

This is part of July Anomalies A-Z, a creative writing exercise and not intended to be an altogether accurate picture of the creature described above.