Duck — A Poem

“Arch” — C.Birde, 5/24

Duck the arch,

the vined curtain blooming

red

seen

only from the farther side…

Enter softly,

keep

the secret of your approach

in your pocket

lest the idyll vanish wholly

with an eager, errant

footfall.

— C.Birde, 5/24

Small… — A Poem

“Mini Mina Marigold” — C.Birde, 5/24

Small

in a vast world,

& aware of her diminutive size

No bravado here

Alert & wary

Yet ready to trust

when approached with

patience & kindness.

We’ve all been her.

— C.Birde, 5/24

Companion — A Poem

“Sassafrases” — C.Birde, 5/24

In May’s unclouded light,

I walked my grief –

short leash heart-tethered

Cool blue breath against

my skin reverberating

with our paired gait’s

catch & swing

Strides synchronized

etched from fragrant air

Each, a pulse of beauty,

a tear shed for my own,

for the world’s suffering

Heart-leash short tethered

wending home again

On my doorstep –

patient, casting shadow

Nowhere to go, I let it in.

— C.Birde, 5/24

Lilac Dream — A Poem

“Lilacs” — C.Birde, 5/24

Lilac dream –

each branch’s whole,

flowers within flowers unfolding

as dream within dream

recalled

forgotten

yet entirely dreamed,

perfumed, &

growing.

— C.Birde, 5/24

October Moon — A Poem

An artfully altered personal photo of the full Hunter's Moon, reflecting over our nearby reservoir.
“October Moon” — 10/30/23

That night,

the Moon’s pale & brilliant eye

shone wide across the water

And you three & you & I walked

through the end of an October

warmer than memory allowed

While the fallen, whispering leaves

of oak & sycamore followed us

on brisk & skittering feet.

— C.Birde, 11/23

Reflection — A Poem

“Cherry Bloom” — C.Birde, 5/23

Blush

of pink,

palely reflected

in down-turned

petals,

conceals this

persistent

awkwardness

of being.

— C.Birde, 5/23

Farewell — A Poem

“Her Last Day” — C.Birde, 5/23

Farewell

to green-fringed

sheltering limbs…

The hole hewn

from the gray sky,

where you stood

a hundred years,

cannot contain

your absence.

— C.Birde, 5/23

Falls — A Poem

“Falls” — Pisgah Nat’l Forest, 4/23

Falls,

fallen,

falling down

d

o

w

n

into the depths

of self.

— C.Birde, 4/23