Jennifer Browne

Whip-poor-will, here you
are, a caution appearing
on the sill. Little corpse-
bird, the body is already
cold, and there is no one
else to tell the stories
of their red-soil Alabama 
childhood. What can any
of us do but try to be still, 
be safe, feathers blending
with the fallen leaves, 
and in the dark, dark night, 
sing the only song we have
in conspicuous throats.

Jennifer Browne falls in love easily with other people’s dogs. She is the author of American Crow (Beltway Editions, 2024) and some other stuff, too. Find her at linktr.ee/jenniferabrowne or drinking coffee at Clatter in Frostburg, MD.