Level with Birdsong
by Rachel J. Bennett
for Joseph Weizenbaum
You crest the hill, light
a carnelian fire to let
the valley know you
miss it, even though
its stars were farther
away and the night
very cold. Above,
an invisible bird
makes the sound
of a ringtone with
its lungs and throat,
suggesting you are not
where you thought
you would be, setting
out. It’s been days
since you spoke
to anyone, but days
exist less when
you’re not speaking.
Like air, you expand
to fill any space
and experience lost
as the impulse
to press something,
anything into wet
mud. With rocks,
you construct a cell
Gyroscope Review 32
!