My thanks to Dayna Patterson and the crew at Psaltery and Lyre for publishing my poem this morning. Check out their beautiful website.
Update: This poem was nominated for the 2017 Pushcart prize. My thanks to Psaltery and Lyre for this honor.
She wasn’t sure about heaven,
but she believed in birds.
On walks she’d stop to watch
a skein of geese, wondered
where they came from,
where they were heading.
They mate for life, she’d say.
Crows do too. And swans
and storks. She must have said that
a hundred times, with a kind of wonder
at the impossibility.
She kept five feeders on the deck,
had a book of backyard birds
to identify newcomers at the feast.
She cried when a neighbor’s cat
killed a mourning dove. They mate
for life too, she said. Listen,
her mate is sad. That’s just their call,
I told her. No, it’s different, she said.
You can tell when birds are sad.
She died a month ago.
I keep the feeders filled.
– Sarah Russell
Picture courtesy of The Spruce
Sarah Russell Poetry 
That’s lovely.
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Thanks, Jenn.
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Such a beautiful poem. Very kind and inspiring to read.
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Thank you, Jeren.
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so sad and beautiful. there is much to be learned from the birds.
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Agreed. Thanks for reading, Beth.
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Your words are beautiful, I had a mate for life, she died, I suppose I use my words to keep the “feeder filled”.
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Thanks for your insight into this poem, Ivors. Yes, there are many ways to remember for those who mate for life.
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Always admire your narrative – easy and unpretentious the way your words flow and here where simplicity touches the heart
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Thanks so much, Laura. I try to follow Thomas Lux’s dictum that poetry that can’t be readily understood is just rude.
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Oh my gosh–so lovely–and sad.
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Thanks, Meril.
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Great piece
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Thank you, Emeka.
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This was a really moving and well written poem Sarah. Thanks for sharing. My partner Andy and I love birds and animals in general. I have a poetry blog here on WordPress and today’s poem is about storks in case you have time to look? Have a good afternoon, Sam 🙂
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Thanks, Sam. Loved your poem about the storks. I have seen them in France and Germany. None near here in Pennsylvania though.
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This is moving and well written, Sarah. Congrats on the Pushcart nomination!
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Thanks a lot, Khaya.
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Really beautiful, but I like ducks and willy wagtails. Now I’ll have to write something about them.
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Consider yourself challenged!
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OK. I have been. But first of all I just want to post a few Aussie Birds that are in my blog but before I do I would like your permission to start the post with your poem and explain why I liked it so much.
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Thank you so much! I’m honored.
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