It does not equal a ¼ cup,
a soft boil,
a bird in a hand.
If one of the two bluebirds
we saw flee into the trees
had rested in my palm,
I would have stopped
breathing for fear
of brushing
it away.
Breathe, they told me,
try to relax,
your body knows
what to do next.
Published in Cider Press Review, Volume 26, Issue 2.
Megan Merchant (she/her) is the owner of www.shiversong.com and lives in the tall pines of Prescott, AZ with her husband and two children. She holds an M.F.A. degree in International Creative Writing from UNLV and is the author of three full-length poetry collections with Glass Lyre Press: Gravel Ghosts (2016), The Dark’s Humming (2015 Lyrebird Award), Grief Flowers (2018), four chapbooks, and a children’s book, These Words I Shaped for You (Philomel Books). Her latest book, Before the Fevered Snow, was released in April 2020 with Stillhouse Press ( NYT New & Noteworthy).
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