by Jared Pearce —
The herd of sparrows in the yard bends,
Breaks, then coalesces again, following
And leading, losing and finding each other
To blend and vie, serve and dominate.
I don’t know what their tribe has in place
For sexual misconduct. I don’t know
What stories they tell about longing
For home. I’m not sure they’re good
Analogues. I can see their hunger
And their flight, their vulnerable mastery.
When they scatter at my approach,
I work to decipher their language
Etched in the loose top soil, easily
Meaningless, mysterious, and erased.
Jared Pearce’s poems have appeared or is scheduled to appear in Southword, PIcaroon, Wilderness House, Triggerfish, and THAT. His debut collection, The Annotated Murder of One, has been released by Aubade Press.