To Fly – a poem by Shawn Aveningo Sanders

To Fly

I sit at my computer
day after day
the blue light
a slow flicker
before tired eyes

From the corner
of my eye I spy
the flicker of Anna’s throat
a flash of ruby thrum-hum
seeking new nectar

Playful nuthatch
hanging upside down
on the feeder’s metal mesh
gorges himself
on sunflower seeds

The house-husband finch
at home on his perch
shows me his bright
red crown, waits for me
to praise his beauty

At the end of the day
a sharp pain shoots
behind my shoulder blade
I’m ready
to release my wings and fly

Shawn Aveningo Sanders started out as show-me girl from Missouri and after a bit of globetrotting finally landed in Portland, Oregon. She is a widely published poet who can’t stand the taste of coconut, eats pistachios daily and loves shoes—especially red ones! (redshoepoet.com) Shawn’s work has appeared in over 130 literary journals and anthologies. She’s a Pushcart nominee (2015), Best of the Net nominee (2017), co-founder of The Poetry Box, managing editor for The Poeming Pigeon, and winner of the first poetry slam in Placerville, California (2012). Shawn is a proud mother of three and shares the creative life with her husband in the suburbs of Portland, Oregon.