Blackbirdan online journal of literature and the artsSpring 2012 v11n1
poetryfictionnonfictiongalleryfeaturesbrowse
print version
ROXANE BETH JOHNSON

Patient Sermon

Child, cherish the exact relations of this world. Bang the hammer to its consort, its beloved nail. A quiet room soon longs for a doorbell. A light bulb for its burning out. Sister, your mind chokes when you can’t breathe for someone’s song in your throat. Palms to ashes takes about a year. An old bird has a more complex song. Tree tops jiggle in the wind, send down their snow.  

       The italicized phrase is a quote from an unknown author.


return to top