Birdland Requiem
too jittery to be a shut-in,
but a broken bird often
has no choice
& what of the frail nest
of cracks letting the cold in?
be patient, soon boiling sun
will be unbearable
there’s some acknowledgment
in the streets, some
have an understanding
of the needs, the risks
of a body wracked by
hypersensitivity,
some miss the songs
the vulnerable sing
when there’s nothing left
to hang on to
no bough to perch on
that will hold you
without swaying
(they’re saying
the earth is off kilter,
& oh, she feels it,
a dizzying trajectory)
some still bang their gavels
in tweet form, some scream
in your face all that
they think they know about you,
some are vultures
picking your bones
& your home clean,
some just want you weak,
scurrying away
on broken wings
some dare to trudge
the in-between, stand
beside you, an unthreatening
tower, a safe haven
for the crumbling
some stay silent
& listen in hope
that the sweet
melodies floating
on the wind
will replace
the undertone of death
& to the ones
also spying from the bars
of their cages,
to the other ones
who’ve flown inwardly,
or the ones
who are left behind
as cracked eggshells,
this final breath
is for you
Thistle Thoughts 