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.





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