Bird

by L. Meredith Chandler


Standing before the darkening sky, I hear the single bird
Among the sirens and the cars, all with somewhere fast to go
Among the human discontent it sings its song
Above it all, simple and strong.
 
Somewhere behind me, someone comes home
Dishes get done, an infant cries up the road.
I hear it all but it is the bird I listen to
The grace of Maya, uncaged now and free.
 
I want to know what this bird knows
Smell the sweet sap
Hold tight to that tall branch
Truly earn the sight of that height.
 
Taste the clean of the highest air
Clear and cool on my tongue
To carry my own song up and out
Just like you.
 
As the sun sets on our day, I want to earn what you know
Simple and strong, above it all.


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L. Meredith Chandler is a native New Englander who grew up in Maine and now splits her time between the Maine woods and the Massachusetts coast. She holds a BA in English from Adelphi University and an MA in English from the University of Rhode Island. L. Meredith has been writing poems since age 10, with themes ranging from family roots to addiction to the complexities of freedom and human emotion. Her first chapbook, The Human Heart and Other Chambers, will be completed later this autumn.