I watched blackbirds today.
I couldn’t sleep.
Early at dawn I watched a parent
feed her chick.
The older one was dark –
as burdens darken us;
the younger pale,
unknowing, made a fuss.
Peck, peck, they went
as their small beaks touched
From where I sat,
it looked as if they kissed.
And it occurred to me
that this is how you feed
the nerve to fly,
which I so sorely missed.