grandmother, medicine woman

It was two cardinals in a wing beat landing
that made me believe in the Cherokee return of your messages
I was startled by the sun with my hand lifted above my eyes
and the birds were no more than a squint for a moment
but they cleared in my vision when a shadow

collapsed across the trees
Messenger birds come to me from the other side of life
beyond the planes of this knowing where earth holds
everything hostage to solid thought but the birds brought
a remembrance of what is beyond reality
the vanilla thoughts of long good byes
the comprehensible images of omens where bad luck
takes a back seat to the messages of birds
Somewhere you walk joyful, the walking stick of this world
flung into voided places
some place you saw cardinals lingering in wild breezes
and whispered short hopeful lines
Click is the call of cardinals, click click in rapid readouts
Grandmother you have flown beyond your herbal medicines
to send back my healing by bright, red birds.

Reviews

[arbitrary jane]

mmm... what a moment.
and for the right kind of stillness and ... aperture... to see it.
beautiful.

[Ed Hart]

you have more songs in you than that old jukebox i used to drop my nickles in

[Ken Simm.]

This is extremly layered with memory, with natural thought and with history. A beautiful write.

[Emily B]

funny how our grandmothers are brought back to us in small moments, your words are tall, distinguished, bright and so welcome today