MURMURATION
the firmament
welcomes flight
in dim light
of fading day, when starlings
return to roost
staccato chirps
give way to
sky-bound bodies,
where whistling
wings
move in waves
a twisting
undulation
of instinct
and wisdom;
iridescence,
shape-shifting
in form—
a
veritable
feather storm
QUIETLY, I’LL GO
quietly, I’ll go to the river in darkness and bathe where the wolf song rises
where moonglow and midnight
promise to keep
rippling secrets confessed
under water
I’ll amble along
the moss-sodden path
among aspen,
insomnia, and durable woes—
swathed in starlight
and immutable wonder
under Milky Way skies
quietly, I’ll go
to the celandine meadow
and lie
between coyote shadows
where time heals heartache
no matter its depth
nor cause nor claim
to my soul
I’ll sleep upon
on a bed of grass,
among cricket lullaby and soft firefly glow—
dreaming of a magical,
luminous life
that only I can know
Erika Seshadri lives on an animal rescue ranch with her family. When not caring for tame critters or feral children, she can be found writing.