Birdwoman by Michele Birch-Conery

Penelope

Judy Chappus, artist

 

Birdwoman

1.

I hear you everywhere, diva

of the long note held

into improvisation. Virtuoso

of contained response,

self-possession, of the lyric

of wise action, your recitative

moves me deeper than memory.

In my silence, thin as the cuticle 

of the waxing moon, Firebird, 

you raise me, again and again, from the ashes 

my spent lives. Your patience 

is beyond reach, Pheonix, 

heart of my being. 

2. 

You are Hawk, Eagle, Raven. 

Where spruce thins to tundra 

you are Arctic Tern. 

Cormorant, Shearwater, Great 

Blue, your shadow seeks 

my shadow, your spirit 

mine. Feather 

on the breath of God 

you are Hildegard, 

Mechtilde, Catherine. 

Brigit of the sacred waters, 

Triple Goddess, I come

from your well restored.

by Michele Birch-Conery