07-23-2022, 12:45 AM
Flying Lessons
I.
I gasped when I stared at it
like a new toy I’d broken.
Prodding it with my slingshot
I pried red feathers open.
II.
Bare-handed I’d clawed the dirt
‘til I’d dug a shallow hole,
then covered up the dark spot
with dead leaves and a large stone.
III.
Thin blades push green from under
the stone, stretching for the light.
They flap, and flare, and flutter
as if trying to take flight.
I.
I gasped when I stared at it
like a new toy I’d broken.
Prodding it with my slingshot
I pried red feathers open.
II.
Bare-handed I’d clawed the dirt
‘til I’d dug a shallow hole,
then covered up the dark spot
with dead leaves and a large stone.
III.
Thin blades push green from under
the stone, stretching for the light.
They flap, and flare, and flutter
as if trying to take flight.