By Marte Stuart
I’ve felt the sparrow
panic in my chest
against my sternum
– a random flutter,
beating its wings.
Sometimes, flitting
beside my throat
quavering,
making me feel faint.
The doctor says
my heart’s missing,
forgetting beats,
tripping, then catching up
but, I know it’s really
a sparrow stuck there,
trapped terrified,
like the one you freed
between two panes
reaching in with cupped hands,
at the cabin,
before the day you slipped
and the spring freshet
took you.
About the Author
Marte Stuart has published poetry in the New Orphic Review, International Doula and Holistic Parenting. She assists with the Elephant Mountain Literary Festival, a multi-day celebration of Kootenay and Canadian writers held annually in Nelson. She lives in Blewett.
