Last Night's Birds (A Poem)

LAST NIGHT'S BIRDS

I'm in a new space,
a childless house, its
pulse slowing, then silent.
There's a kinship with
the fading flowers, clustered
yet alone, muted in tone.
A feeling lingers, enveloping my heart,
like a flittering moth yearning for
the vast night's jar stars, and I,
the lonely watcher. Or, like the
maple tree in my back yard aching
for yesterday's birds and
those birds, in turn, searching
in vain for the air.

The November air hangs sharply
on the edges of burning leaves.
I rake up their withered flames, my
mother heart cracked lengthwise,
my memories wisping skywards, my
love mingling with the wood smoke.
I seek comfort from non-human things:
fungi blooming shyly on the forest floor,
glass ponds beckoning as mirrors.
I stoop to gather my words in the woods,
uprooted in tufts of pungent earth.
Hope's gentle hands hook gently
around my waist, holding me up as I
harvest my sorrow in gutted fields,
among pine needles and tree shadows.

Sherri Brannon ©2014

It's been quite awhile since I felt the urge to write, but this poem has been percolating for weeks...it felt good to write about my empty nest feelings. My daughter is doing well and adjusting to her new life in New York City, and that makes me feel good. It really is true what they say: all a parent wants is for their kid to be happy! It's that simple.

Life is a whirlwind right now - it's a time of letting go while embracing new and exciting things. Isn't that the pattern of life? Oh yes, indeed.

Big changes are ahead and I will be incredibly busy for the next several months. We have decided to move to Florida earlier than planned and are now prepping our Virginia house for sale. We've lived in this house for 18 years so there's a whole lot of de-cluttering and home improvements going on! We are downsizing in a huge way. I will post occasionally if I can, but I'll mostly be taking a blog break at least through the holiday season. Life sure keeps you on your toes, doesn't it?

My photo was taken with my iPhone...another lovely landscape capture while on a country drive. I will miss the back roads of Virginia so much when we leave! I used both the Distressed FX and Stackable apps to get the painterly texture (and birds) in the image.

Thank you for stopping by.