—Antieau Gallery, NOLA
So few bones amongst the stars
they are like stars themselves
floating against dark sky,
their flight peaceful,
impossibly
buoyant, featherless.
What could live sparrows do to have us
honor their dead
but
lasso our faces with soft rope,
tilt our gaze toward
an endless stream of hollow
bones overhead, force us to look away
from hard earth that blooms
flora
all the way up to the nape
of our necks?
Header photograph © Jason D. Ramsey.
Jack B. Bedell is Professor of English and Coordinator of Creative Writing at Southeastern Louisiana University where he also edits Louisiana Literature and directs the Louisiana Literature Press. Jack’s work has appeared in Barren, Pidgeonholes, The Shore, Okay Donkey, EcoTheo, The Hopper, Terrain, and other journals. His latest collection is Color All Maps New (Mercer University Press, 2021). He served as Louisiana Poet Laureate 2017-2019.
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