I was thinking of you

when I came across a pair of wings

submerged at the edge of the clear lake

 

without a body

joined by a bone

moving in the gentle waves

as if in flight

 

but without a body there is no bird

there is no memory

 

whether or not you are good

at forgiveness

 

is what I was thinking at the time

then about the shoulder bones

of a blackbird

 

the strength of certain memories

that move beneath the surface

where we hold

all of our desires

even the desire to hurt

 

do birds love the sky

or the shoreline that touches me

like someone else’s story

 

have you heard of a blackbird drowning

do you have dreams of flying

 

in mine it’s like swimming through air

it’s like saying goodbye to everyone at once