She inclined
her towering head –
sweetly perfumed &
crowned in
pink –
to the sweeter
Pink Moon
&
with a rustle,
with a gesture,
murmured,
“After you…”
— C.Birde, 4/20
Pink — An Image
Thought — A Poem
I give my thoughts,
at dusk,
to the reservoir,
where they
sink &
settle &
thin
like dream,
like life.
— C.Birde, 4/20
And Yet… — A Poem
And yet,
and yet…
in spite of all,
of everything…
Spring.
The world outside —
slowly,
gradually,
wakening in bud
and bloom,
in slow greening.
Earth,
shuddering
with birdsong;
spring-anointed
in glorious yellows,
in floral
exhilaration.
All the world,
a gift,
taking time
to breathe,
expand,
and
open.
— C.Birde, 4/20
Refraction — Words & Image
May the light break
around,
upon,
with us all —
r e f r a c t i n g —
until
we are decked
in rainbows.
— C.Birde, 4/20
Trove — An Image
“I will,”
her declaration —
first soft —
soon rose,
“wear cloth-of-gold,
come mist,
come sun,
come storm,”
she paused…
“I will wear
a sunlit
t r o v e.”
— C.Birde, 4/20
Mosaic — A Poem
Mosaic
of time and
spirit,
dispersed and
scattered
Petals,
pollen,
light
Collected,
reshaped,
redirected
by action,
careful thought
or left
undisturbed
to drift and
settle
Gift
to another
Choose
wisely.
— C.Birde, 4/20
In-grain(ed) — A Dream
Burdensome book,
made entirely of wood –
cover, binding, pages;
two inches thick,
maybe three.
A tome-ic weight
upon the lap,
the knees –
biting,
pressing,
depress-
ing.
Pages click
as readers flip
the rigid leaves,
select the word
that suits,
describes where,
in life, they find
themselves –
physically,
spiritually,
emotionally –
& slide aside
small wooden tabs
to reveal
the associated page &
turn as indicated.
Click,
slide,
flip;
click,
slide,
flip.
Fall behind taking time
to consider,
to deliberate;
volume of wood
spread wide
across the knees…
Search row and line
for the word
that properly describes
the core of prevailing
sentiment…
To no avail.
Of the many words carved
in those manifold
wooden pages,
neither “grief”,
nor “sorrow”,
nor “melancholy”
are found.
Observe –
the others all
depart,
move on,
while one
remains,
left
behind,
a-
lone.
— C.Birde, 3/20
Seen/Not Seen — Images
“Thank you,”
she spoke from half-light,
seen,
not seen,
“for all the small,
odd,
curious things —
the skunk cabbage,
the owl pellet,
the brittle lace
of shed snake’s skin,”
a breath,
a pause,
“for I am small &
odd &
curious,
too.“
— C.Birde, 3/20
Exposed — A Poem
What shape
will healing take
and when might
the wound
reknit?
Reinforced with
steel & stone
Shattered glass
Crack’d bone
O,
nest of moss &
neatly woven
grasses
exposed to hope
to love again,
receive
us.
— C.Birde, 3/20
Row Round — A Dream
Quick.
Get in.
No time to spare.
We’ll row
row row the boat,
rosy, fleet, & lean
through the churning
choppy sea
to save the pink dol-
phins.
Row
row row the boat,
rosy, fleet, & lean,
grip the handles
dip the oars
& save the pink dol-
phins.
Repeat,
in rounds.
Repeat.
— C.Birde, 3/20