Tricia Knoll Verse-Virtual 2018 January

January 2018

When I was working full-time I knew a day would come, approximately January 10, when I'd walk out of the office building door at 5 pm and a faint smear of sunlight would remain on the horizon. Faith comes in flashes like this, yet I know that the lingering darkness takes a toll. I think of the people I miss, the people who are gone, the silence of the woods. Website: triciaknoll.com

Dropping My Wings Off at Goodwill

I don’t need them any more.
Not that my work is done –
I just have need less often.
Dust-free, vane straight,
soft-gray feathered,
may they fit another
woman’s shoulders.

A lonely she
who looks for a nest,
a perch, a lift to shuttle
to loving kindness,
a refuge, or to flee
an endangered rest.

The clerk marks them large,
prices them beyond expectation
for a flimsy Halloween costume,
hangs them on the specials rack
with worn wedding gowns
and hand-stitched baby quilts
for a blue-tag sale.

She who needs them
will run shaking fingers
to lay the barbs straight.
May she foresee
her whys of flight.

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