Thursday, January 30, 2025

The Crow Angel

 

Crow, I said,

that’s a stone in your beak,

not a seed.

 

But she didn’t stop

and kept tapping against the rock.

 

It split in two

and out came a parasite

which perched on her back.

 

It grew over time, over time, over time,

and crow bowed down

and died.

 

I lay on the bed

of her black feathers

and they turned white,

 

in my deepest January,

as snow fell,

lingering, drifting, layering,

 

while all burned up around me.

The feathered angel-kiss kept me

cold, safe and numb.

 

Arrows swarmed the air—

hissing, a warring beast

took aim, fired—

 

and then Thor’s arms came

and I flew

burning like a phoenix—

 

the foul dart,

pulled

from my back,

 

crushed in my taloned hand,

 

fell in fire, sulfur,

 

sand.

 

 

© 2025 Jennifer Wagner

 

In Your Deepest January at What’s Going On?

 

Tuesday, January 28, 2025

how to start the day

 

photo © jennifer wagner

just for today, let’s

glory in the little

 

things,

 

swing as if our sky

doesn’t know

a hint

 

of night,

 

trip on daisies,

petal-clouds

 

of white,

 

fall down softly, dizzy,

with me

 

slide your fingers

across my lips

 

return to me

a hungry

 

kiss

 

 

© 2025 jennifer wagner

 

 

photo © jennifer wagner


 

for the word garden word list (dizzy, hungry, trip) and dverse q44 (hint)

 

photo 1:  fabulous book

photo 2:  fabulous ted de grazia painting from his gallery in the sun in tucson, az