blue on black
yesterday my cat
dropped a grackle at my feet
alive, but injured
and i tried to save it
(to no avail)
i lifted it gently and
placed it beneath the yellow
lilies, offering shelter and
food and water and also
a projection of hope
and the bird looked up at me
frightened and resigned,
and then together, we waited
.
later, i carried the body
away and noticed, in the way
humans do,
that it was heavier in death
than in life
as if its spirit had somehow
managed to counteract gravity,
at least a little
and i realized
we have it all wrong,
this thing called grief
our underlying fear
of being forgotten
because the world
always remembers
it’s just that we
finally
forget ourselves
.
I took this photo a few weeks ago, and it made me laugh, Mr. Grackle looking all fierce.
I’d like to think that’s the look he’s giving NaughtyKitten™ just now.
.
.
.
May 30th, 2015 at 9:53 am
I have delighted in your blog – your poems, your photos, your thoughts, since the first day I discovered it. And I think today is the day to let you know that.
May 30th, 2015 at 3:56 pm
Ah, every life, and every death, that teaches, was a life well lived. Thank you, Kelly
June 2nd, 2015 at 6:56 am
Kelly, this is beautiful. Xo
June 4th, 2015 at 2:12 am
that’s a fierce grackle ~