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      September 1, 2023Speaking of BirdsGray Thomas

      1.
       
      When she spoke
      birds flew from her mouth
      and flew around the room.
       
      At first, we thought “beautiful.”
      What a marvelous spectacle.
      A nightingale
      Then a swallow.
      Then a cockatoo.
      A parade of birds.
       
      After the seventh
      we became concerned.
       
       
      2.
       
      He aspired
      to become a bluebird.
      He focused on turning his hair
      into feathers, turning his voice
      into chirps, his feet
      into tiny talons.
      He gave up his career
      in finance. One day
      someone asked him
      about dividends.
      He pecked at their oxfords.
       
       
      3.
       
      When she spoke
      she spoke only of him.

      from #80 - Summer 2023

      Gray Thomas

      “This poem was composed after a writing prompt provided by the Salt Lake Community College Writing Center during an April 30/30 challenge. Due to the nature of the challenge, it was written hastily at a bar with a buzz of activity swirling around me. Sometimes I enjoy plucking the vibrations of people surrounding me—as though my pen is a needle on a seismograph measuring an earthquake.”

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