I TOLD THEM THAT YOU WERE NOT A BIRD
by Em Bober
So when I saw it—
a headless sparrow, dead
at the roots of a maple
while choosing which grave
we'd bury you in
I picked it up and
wrapped it in a napkin
and stuck it in your pocket
on the day of your funeral
to remind them of this fact
and to give that winged thing
a place to rest
where the beasties
and haunted things
would never find it.