A small bird in the yard
Pesters the day
With a shrill, persistent cry
Why–why?
Why–why?
Why–why?
You want to go back to sleep
You just found out a friend died
You just found out
He was in a lot of pain
There’s been another derailment
Of a train
And so many innocent people
Dying in Ukraine
Alan Watts still speaks wisdom
From his grave
Words that enlighten
But do not save
Anyone
From anything
Except the idea that
Something needs to change
Or not
I wait for my feelings to change
But I’m right there with the bird
Making sounds
That almost form a word
But not really
It’s just a sound
It’s just the feelings
That want to drown
In the pillow
I don’t cry
I just open-scroll Zillow
Dreaming of a mansion
Where I could escape
Change lives
Change places
Change shape
This is not about survival
Life is always-never surprising
This is more like
Credence Clearwater Revival
And now the bad moon is rising
Right next to the sun
Atomic
Frightening
The ultimate big one
The sad, climactic ending?
Human beings are still here
Pretending
We will get up early
And feed or eat the worms
The bird has stopped crying
The morning squirms
In the house below me
All the loving coffee drinkers
Who know me
Are making joe
I will go
Pick up a cup of warm brew
Swallow my tears
And let the day’s activities accrue
Into something familiar
Something new
There will still be an absence that wants its due
A memory
A thought
An ache
Of you
© 2023 Julie Flanders
April is Poetry Month Day 23
To learn more and ENTER our 5th annual poetry contest, please click here: https://octoberprojectmusic.com/poetrycontest/
October Process 