August — An Image

An artfully altered photo of a reed and flower filled meadow, with tower cattails.
“Rattlesnake Meadow, August” — C.Birde, 8/21

“I will lounge…”

she extended her limbs,

“…in all my cholorophylled,

green-gold glory

& drink August

to its last,

sweet

dregs.”

— C.Birde, 8/21

Summer Slice — A Poem

An artfully altered photo of sliced peaches on a white plate.
“Peaches” — C.Birde, 8/21

Gluttonous of peaches –

I am grasping

  greedy

    miserly to shameful

degree.

“Let the juice run down

the chin”?

Nonsense.

Folly.

Shameful profligacy.

Serrated knife peels

brushed-velvet skin,

slices slim bright grins

from deep-grooved

stone.

Like myth & love,

I swallow whole.

Every liquid vein,

each mouthful –

  mine alone.

    Savor

      savor…

Ingest

the whole of Summer’s

transient warmth,

ward against impending

cold.

— C.Birde, 8/21

Column, Shifted — A Poem

An artfully altered b&w photo of a fence, representative of a spinal column.
“Column” — C.Birde, 8/21

Grit teeth grinding

bone-on-bone

Internal skree

of brittling dust

falls d-o-w-n

the shift-stacked

ivory column

Collects

Barnacles

Erodes smooth glide

of movement

Nibbles

Gnaws

Bites

A dull, full-rayed star

radiating dis-

ease.

— C.Birde, 8/21

Descendant — A poem

An artfully altered photo, looking up through the interwoven crosshatch of leaves and branches of a burning bush.
“Flameless Burning Bush” — C.Birde, 7/21

She made no sound

Waited to be seen

within the flameless

burning bush

Shadow on shadow

Soot and smoke

Avian stroke of song

unsung

Each note contained

nested in gray breast

Then, as suddenly, seen

— a revelation perched

on gray-green twist

of twig.

— C.Birde, 7/21

Interrupt — A Poem

An artfully augmented photo of a earthen path through a green wood.
“Wood” — C.Birde, 6/21

The sky unzips & groans –

sliced, clipped, bisected –

while, rooted below,

I struggle to parse

interrupted songs of

Eastern Wood-Pewee

Carolina Wren

Ovenbird

&

T

h

r

u

s

h.

— C.Birde, 6/21

Visit — A Dream

An altered photo of my dear friend.
“L” — C.Birde, 4/21

So grateful

for your visit,

so many months

since your last.

A full year since…

Over a year…

Seeing you at all –

as you were,

as always you will be

in memory –

is Gift enough.

Even if

you don’t speak,

don’t see me,

don’t stay.

Grateful,

all the

same.

— C.Birde, 4/21

Memoriam — A Poem

An augmented photo of a snowy night, looking down a cleared brick walk and through a snow-covered garden arch.
“Night’s Snowy Arch” — C.Birde, 2/21

A year

has passed

since you left

this earth

& though

I miss you now

no more than

yesterday

& no less than

tomorrow,

today I’m

pricked

with

t

e

a

r

s

.

.

.

— C.Birde, 2/21

Wounds — A Poem

A close up augmented photo of a Bleeding Heart's single bloom.
“Bleeding Heart” — C.Birde, 2/21

Lodged

between the ribs

So near the heart’s

sweet beating

Ember

of doubt and fear

Smoldering

Compressed &

prone to flare

at least provocation

Legacy of grief

Invisible

Unseen

Forged so long ago

Catching at all

kindling

Acknowledge it

Smother it

Cover it or

cut it out

It won’t be doused

Ever raw

Lodged & always

burning.

— C.Birde, 2/21