Birdstrike

A levitation in reverse
violated by the point of entry
alchemy of concrete of glass
of sparrows.

I have gone feral
& stopped making lists,
I’ve rejected the uncertainty
of living rooms.

I’m a no show at funerals,
I favor stone slabs that seep
their edges & magicians
who reveal their tricks.

How can I name this bleeding
between worlds,
small bridges overstepped
& overlooked?

Perhaps there’s just the one world,
a clash of circumstance
where we enter
& where we leave.

---

Ingrid L. Taylor is a poet, science writer, and veterinarian whose poetry has recently appeared or is forthcoming in the Southwest Review, the Ocotillo Review, FERAL: A Journal of Poetry and Art, Horse Egg Literary, and others. Her poem “Mermaids” received Punt Volat Journal’s Annual Poetry Award in 2021. Her nonfiction work has appeared in Sentient Media. She’s received support for her writing from the Playa Artist Residency, the Horror Writers Association, and Gemini Ink, and she holds an MFA from Pacific University. Find her online at http://www.ingridltaylor.com.

Illustration by C.B. Auder.

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