Paul Laurence Dunbar, "Preparation" (1895)
A shy, soft song to the morning light;
And it flutters a little and prunes its wings.
The song is halting and poor and brief.
And the fluttering wings scarce stir a leaf;
But the note is a prelude to sweeter things,
And the busy bill and the flutter slight
Are proving the wings for a bolder flight!
Published in Majors and Minors, 1895
Also published in Colored American Magazine, March 1909