And a bird flies out

And a Bird Flies Out

Imagine:

you are walking.

The air is chill, and damp, and moving, breathily around you like

anticipation.

The world is halfway between winter's raspiness and

summer's lush and supple body --

spring filters slowly into the empty places

with hints of green,

white flowers,

tiny buds on high up branches.

You hear a rustling in the brush, crinkling

dry leaves winter left like

smoldering ashes amidst the fragile, new life.

Imagine:

the rustling grows louder and you wonder

what life has touched down here

and why it stayed so long in this

forsaken place -

or if it left -

but returned, here, again

where the harshness reigns, still.

You look for reasons to return and find

hints of tenderness in

the faces of snowdrops.

Peeks of friendship in tiny daffodils.

Mentions of forgiveness in the green that grows

like it doesn't know it was not supposed to, when

the crackling and whispers turn to

an eruption of motion as

springing from her imprisonment of branches

a bird flies out

skyward.

Imagine:

you are walking.

The air is chill, and damp, and moving creakily around you like

your mind aches with the weight of

thoughts resting heavily in your skull.

Your heart is gray

with the dark and heavy truths of your days

as you wait

in anticipation of how you will unfold from your long

and heavy winter.

Imagine:

here,

there is a field of flowers.

Here, in this gray, forsaken place

blooming! -- this

is springtime --

improbable, I know,

but imagine:

each thought, a beautiful

and simple flower, like:

you are forgiven, like

take my hand, like

you are beautiful, like

all of you is worthy, like

let me stand with you, like

a wind has come

and blown away the crackling leaves.

Imagine:

you are walking.

The air is chill, and damp, and moving softly around you

and you feel

a stirring, starting gently in your chest.

You move your heart

to the returning sun and

a bird flies out.

My tattoo.  Apparently, inking something on your body
gives you a life theme.  My theme since the summer has become
"taking flight."  I'm digging it.