Saturday, July 4, 2020

How to crochet a bird



How to crochet

a bird:

 

sit

 

                well

 

                                into the evening

 

draw it along

                your lap

                only

 

the length of it

 

to keep

everything

                                                in a straight and untangled line

 

                loop it through

                the fingers

                you choose

                will be

                the                                                                         most

                                                                use

 

                                and then

                                loop it

                                and then

                                begin

 

 

to make it

into

                                a              c

                                             chain

                                             a

                                               i

                                             n

 

and count. 

It counts

if you count

it counts

if you loose count

 

it counts

if the spool

spools

                                out                                         through                                to

 

                                                the next

                                                room                                     bumping

                                                                                                u

                                                                                                m

                                                                                                ping

 

                                against

                the threshold and coming to

                                a rest

                                next to the still

                                immature

                                cat who even

                                with all her practice                       

                                                still

                                                can’t kill

                                                a bird

                                                                with stealth

 

                                and still

                                                bats

                                                and bashes

 

                                                who’s panicked after licking the sticking

                                                pinfeathers

                                                and inhaling tiny bones

 

                                                                who goes through

                                                                her world and your world

                                                                                scattering

 

robins

and wrens

 

                and occasional blackbirds

                                and rarer still

                                favorites: bluebirds who flew

 

once they knew there’s be a cat.

 

Limp to retrieve that lost spool

 

and heave back over to that chair

and pick up where you left off:

 

 

                                                                that rub on the skull

                                                                                soon enough

                                                                falling into your lap

                                                                as from

                                                                                (at last)

                                                                a nest

 

                                                                                and given to

                                                                the wind in that attic window

 

                                                                                                before its stuffed

                                                                                                                years from now

                                                                                                                into the missing pane.

                               

                                                               

 


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