An Endangered Bird Is Forgetting Its Song as the Species Dies Out
– headline from a news article
And what would you do if one day,
say a Wednesday before the heat of summer had yet settled
in and you had pulled the last of the warm sheets
from the dryer to make the bed and the rain had slowed but not stopped
so that each tap tap tap could be counted against the porch railing
and the kids were at school
and your husband had just risen from his desk to pour boiling water
over his peppermint tea and the dog softly rustled in his sleep
and the mail lay on the counter unopened,
you turned to retrieve your milk from the fridge that always hums
and you saw a woman before you,
her half smile caught perfectly in the photo’s frame
and for a moment you forgot it was you
and looked again, surprised to see your own
undeserved exquisiteness. Who would there be to tell?
And would they believe you.
5 thoughts on "An Endangered Bird Is Forgetting Its Song as the Species Dies Out"
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Damn. You went in on that one. I love this. Those unexpected reminders of who we were. Chills.
My goodness. I felt this.
Thank you for capturing that contemplative moment. I’m excited to see your writing on here this year!
You led me straight in, one line at a time. <3
So compelling.