inhale, rise. exhale, fold.
stretch float flow
repeat. beyond your window
winged wonders chirp, twitter, tweet
you, too, salute the sun, rest in its golden bright
before they wake, limbs tangled in the sheets,
before the headlines make you clench your jaw if
“hope is the thing with feathers,”
what is dread
a clawed predator,
lurking in the very air we
breathe deep, remember:
you’re safe in this nest
meanwhile essential birds flit to and fro
till the earth, tend the brood, fight death—
(breathe deep) what you’ve been asked to do
(nest) barely feels like sacrifice
still
you bow your head, weary
you close your eyes, wet
you fold your hands,
pleading
for miracles.
indoors, your little one wakes
outside, a robin warbles
Erin Strybis 