Never forget
to take the time
to read those notes
tucked amongst the trees,
carried along the air’s current,
laid
— gently, sweetly —
at your feet.
— C.Birde, 12/17
Messages — An Image
Residue — A Poem
I gave my cares
to the earth,
to the tumbled soil;
my fears
to the wind’s knife edge;
and my tears
to the rivers and
spreading sea.
A thudding grief
expelled
in howl and echo.
I came undone.
Nothing remained
but time and space,
and the residue
of flint-hard hope
to begin
again.
— C.Birde, 12/17
Thoughts & Wild Rabbits — A Poem
The warmth and safety
of this moment,
this place,
are no defense,
nor the play of light splashed
against closed eyelids.
The unwelcome thoughts
leap —
small, wild rabbits
through the wire fence
of consciousness.
They should not fit,
become lodged half-way,
caught between life
and non-life.
Cut them free.
Gently,
gently
lift and release each one.
Swaddle it,
heart-to-heart.
Match that rapid pulse
and stroke
the dampened fur to warmth.
Speak tenderly into the
long, listening ears
of love and
love and
love.
— C.Birde, 11/17
Hope — An Image
Hope,
like light,
flies in
through
the
g a p s.
— C.Birde, 10/17
Schrodinger’s Cat-erpillar
Mystery,
wrought of
hardened protein
and spun silk,
it exists
in two states,
twice –
alive and dead;
caterpillar and
butterfly.
Each
a truth entire.
Until
the chrysalis splits
and butterfly
emerges.
Or does not.
Spun silk heart,
not yet hardened,
snug between ribs,
beating in
two states –
Hope and
Dismay.
— C.Birde, 9/17
Chrysanthemum Sea — A Dream
In the distance you see her – skirts clutched, she stumbles toward you, through the vast cavern. Far above, the ceiling collects and spreads darkness. But a vague luminosity of indefinite source slides over her form as she runs. This pale glow gathers in the folds of her dress, defines the wayward strands of her hair. Observe — the knot of hair at the base of her neck works loose.
Catch her, as she collides into you. Feel her shoulders convulse as she weeps into her hands. Sense her exhaustion, her heartbreak. Hear the tumble of words pour from her lips.
Listen — to her sad story. Of drama, deception, heartbreak. Of the man she had loved, had devoted herself to. See, as she speaks of him, his image grow in your mind – a tall man, regal in bearing, a cascade of bright black hair. Dressed in antique style, in blue surcoat and white lace cravat. Wonder how she could not have seen the arrogance, the cruel calculation in his eyes, how she could never have suspected. Oh, but she knew now. When their son reached 15 years of age. Then, she learned. The ugly truth. That she would be drained entirely of blood to sustain the boy, that her whole purpose had never been otherwise.
So she had run. Escaped. And now, feared endless pursuit.
Accept her head within the curve of your neck and shoulder. Accept her sobs. Embrace her. Hold her tight, steady her as her body wracks with spasms. Take her narrow hands in your own, and lead her from the road, away, to the field of chrysanthemums. The flowers bloom in a grid of formal lines and rows. Bright clusters of yellow, earthen amber, pale lilac, crimson, pearl-washed moonlight. Draw her down beneath the petalled rays, beneath the leathery green leaves. Kiss her once – lightly, gently. Swim with her, along the tilled earth. Through miles of sheltering blooms and leaves, as your skin collects the flowers’ perfumed breath.
Swim with her, safe from harm, free of discovery, beneath the flowers, in the subterranean, chrysanthemum sea.
— C.Birde, 9/17
Weep — An Image
Together, apart
we weep.
Vision clears,
Hearts reforge,
we cleave a path toward Love,
toward Compassion,
toward Unity —
apart, together.
— C.Birde, 8/17
Elevation — A Poem
Constellation of feathers,
they stud the burning bush,
the hedge and wires,
and with the least
provocation,
lift
in a cloud of wings,
scissoring up and away.
Small messengers.
Each a hope too large
to bear alone.
Each a small
elevation
of heart.
— C.Birde, 8/17
Whales and Wailing — A Dream
The building is a single story, squat and square with walls made entirely of windows. Situated on the beach, it stares blindly over the great, gray stretch of ocean. Lace-edged waves lap and curl against the sandy shore. All seems tranquil, quiet. Stand before the barrier windows, though, hands pressed to the glass; glance left – the serenity is broken. A killer whale is caught in the shallow water, breached. Taut, sleek ,black and white skin runs with seawater. A pectoral fin lists skyward. The large mouth, arrayed with rows of sharp teeth, hangs slack – a shadowed pink cavern.
Howl an animal cry. For the waste of life. For the selfishness. For callous business decisions and profit margins that disregard the larger picture. For the tangled and interconnected web in which we are all a part. For compassionless, human hubris.
Howl again, in anguish while all those surrounding continue, unpreturbed, with their individual tasks. Heads bent over papers and devices, they remain unaware, detached. Unconcerned for the great creature’s suffering and passing; unmoved by the strangled human wail that issues from amidst their own.
All but one. She approaches. A little girl, wide-eyed and concerned. How old – eight, nine, ten? She feels it, too. The grief. The suffering. But her hand is firm, her touch warm. Her very presence anchors, halves the pain.
Cling to her. Don’t let go. Fight it. Together.
— C.Birde, 8/17
Constriction — A Poem
Clouds
blur the horizon,
smudge
the crooked line
defining
here and there,
then and now.
Slowly,
the crows return
to roost
in the evergreen’s
upswept boughs,
their wings glossy,
inked with words
unwritten.
The sky inhales,
constricts and
saturates.
The rains will pour;
the dreaming
recommence.
The words
will
f
o
l
l
o
w .
— C.Birde, 7/17