Gray Bird on a Limb

Gray Bird on a Limb

 

There is a gray bird on a limb

wrapped in some remembered thing.

Perhaps it is something simple.

An unsuccessful dive

that ended badly

or the open white face of the cat

that brushed too closely

as she searched the ground of grass.

Now she is hiding in the brown

of a half emptied tree

The rain that fell earlier

has rendered the leaves precarious

She is lost in thought and staring

at the bites of sun striking

her branches to break through.

After a bout of emptiness

& timid bruise

She remembers flight

and a heartbeat in wings.

She turns her head sharply

from side to side

She remembers something consoling

in the high blue of the sky.

 

Reviews

[Ed Hart]

you have the gift, and use it well...this is lovely poetry...

[HoorayForUnderdog]

very multi-layered...a beautiful poem

[W.k.kortas]

This is a parable of loss, the fear it engenders, and redemption--all with stunning imagery, and all achieved in a scant two-dozen lines. Head-shaking, jaw-dropping marvelous.

[Emily B]

I feel a kinship with her. Every word evoked memories or feelings that seemed so familiar I could almost wrap myself in them. This is a beautiful piece of work.