“Birdsong” by Tina Bethea Ray
Some people can listen
to a bird
and know which kind it is
I hear birds chirping above my chimney
and I think
how delighted I am simply to hear
them sing
because
I can’t carry a tune
fetch a note
utter decent sound from my throat
I’d like to sing
I long to leave winter for spring
land on a branch and cling
look over life
and flap unencumbered wings
my heartbeat flutters like a bird
today, it is my spirit animal
(tomorrow, it may be a fish)
May my words travel like feathers
fallen from the sky
into corners of the world I may never go.
____________________
Share your response to this work, in any form, here
Tina Bethea Ray Artist Statement:
Amnosiac who previously loved the smell of paper. Fell in love with writing in elementary school. Live for my children and coffee. Interests include the beach, classic cars, tiny houses, genealogy, and how not to kill flowers and plants.
