By Elizabeth Cunningham

two goldfinch fluttering up, down, on their own breeze

a firmament of Scylla flowers in the grass

iridescent understory in morning light

inside cinderblock cells, quarantined refugees

people who risked their lives to escape, imprisoned

where is the springtime for them, the promised new life?

turtles sun on every log in the beaver pond

surrounded by the reflection of cloud and sky

their shells are shiny, too, little domes of darkness

less freedom than dogs, walked through a park twice a day

their existence regarded as potential crime

who is protected, who abandoned to despair

the falling petals of a star magnolia tree

birds singing dawn and evening, courting and nesting

spring is here with its power to pierce or break hearts

every day I catalogue the beauty I see

so much suffering at such a remove from me

is it possible to bear witness honestly?

Elizabeth Cunningham

http://elizabethcunninghamwrites.com/

The Maeve Chronicles are available as hardcovers, paperbacks, ebooks, and audiobooks

Don’t miss roman a clef Murder at the Rummage Sale, sequel coming in 2020

“Every story holds the power to surprise…” – Tell Me the Story Again, now in print!