Straw House
written by: Barbara Harris Leonhard
Nestled in a bed woven
of twigs, grass, mud,
a shattered blue egg
and a shiny pink hatchling.
Its tiny head
stretches backward.
Soft yellow beak opens
the bright orange throat,
I am alive!
I am alive!
Fragile, tiny life
screams for food.
Can it thrive
through storms, parasites,
disease?
I shelter in my nest.
Dare I sing my life,
gather with my flock?
If I fly the coop,
fail to soar,
I lie exposed,
hunted by an invisible predator.
Ready to die?
My remains, carted away
to a mass grave.
Huddled in this brittle shell,
cracked open for a view of light,
of sun to scan my glossy skin.
Still alive.
Still alive.
Barbara Harris Leonhard
OCTOBER 2021 AUTHOR OF THE MONTH at Spillwords.com
Barbara Harris Leonhard is a retired ESL Instructor who has regained her poetic voice. Her work appears in Free Verse Revolution, Spillwords, October Hill Magazine, Dark Poet’s Club, Vita Brevis, Well Versed 2020, Silver Birch Press, Amethyst Review, among others. Barbara earned both third place and honorary mention for two poems in Well Versed 2021. Barbara is currently marketing her first poetry collection, Three-Penny Memories. From that memoir collection, her poem “Cooking a Life with a Wire Spine”, was nominated for Publication of the Month at Spillwords Press in August 2021. Barbara’s blog - Extraordinary Sunshine Weaver. Her poetry podcast - Poetry: The Memoir of the Soul.
Latest posts by Barbara Harris Leonhard (see all)
- Interview Q&A With Barbara Harris Leonhard - November 16, 2021
- Spotlight On Writers – Barbara Harris Leonhard - October 23, 2021
- Cooking A Life With A Wire Spine - August 14, 2021
