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Abandon
by Elaine Mintzer

Outside the morning kitchen
a flock of golden finches
gathers in the honeysuckle.
In a week or two they’ll be gone,
leaving the oblivious flowers
to the ruby-throated hummingbirds.

I never dreamed it could be like this:
red-tailed and yellow-breasted birds,
a touch of hands, a kiss on the neck,
a world beyond the blacks and grays
of common crows and drab sparrows,
beyond the cold efficiency
of too-busy parents.

Moon follows sun west past kitchen sink,
over branches of purple-leafed plum,
above the skylight in the hall,
and past my daughter’s bedroom window.

I watch the days go by and wonder
how long before the finch will migrate,
how long the flowers will afflict my nose,
how long this gaudy spring will last,
how long this child will lie across my lap.

 

 

Natural Selections, published in 2005 by Bombshelter Press.

 


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