I Love Birds

I Love Birds

Not for feathers soft as sin

or dainty chirps at 4am

not for grace or hollow bones

or nests they raid, not build as homes

I love them loud, and rough, and wrong

they steal the crumbs, then sing a song

no rules, no leash, no folded maps

just sky and spite between their flaps

They don’t ask why, they don’t explain

they chase the sun, then dodge the rain

a flash of wing, a shriek, a dive—

they burn the air and call it life

So no, I don’t adore them neat

I love their mess, their sharp, quick beat

I love them wild, and not because

they’re cute,

they’re free,

like I once was.