A handsome magpie,
resplendent, handsome magpie,
strode in the rain. Drops
sleekly slid along his dress
and onto the grass
thirsting for more, then he stopped.
Out puffed his feathers.
In a second, sleek hauteur
turned to wet, weary
resignation. Not one note
sang he, this magpie.
Over the months, and seasons,
magpie feathers fell
until in white and sable
stood sweet sir magpie,
sleek, sweet resplendent magpie,
weary, waterlogged magpie.
“On a Magpie” was printed in Esther, No. 1 of Inwood Indiana. Pick up the paperback from Prolific Press; the stories and poems published online are free to read here.
Get the paperback
