The light flashes on the bird's wing Like a steel drum twang It is a pulling An aching Like a magnet in your chest is flipped and connects to something the bird's bodies dance and dip like they're swimming I can see the movement of the air The rises and falls Like breath The radio sound waves and crashes It peaks and falls. It swirls and pulls you under. The magnet is my connection to the tide of myself. I feel my rise and fall. I slam down like a tidal wave. I feel this moment of crescendo It's a typical Wednesday afternoon drive into work. It's a monument within a 9-5. These moments of grandeur are my buoys among the monotony of my ocean. It's a moment to pan away and get pulled back in. The light flashes on a bird's wing Like a steel drum twang It's bright on black And deep soulful beauty It's like the wails inside my chest They echo the pain and pang of connection The light flashes on the bird's wing And for a moment I feel like I'm illuminated //////// Becky Wilklow-Marnell is born and raised on an apple farm in the Hudson Valley. She studied creative writing at Naropa University and finished her degree at SUNY New Paltz in 2009. She runs her family's farm stand, she's a mother of two humans (3 dogs, 2 cats, and too many chickens), a food truck boss, and the founder of Orchard Discos. Poetry is her eternal perspective, her escape, and her lifeline.
Lightwood 