Nest

VOCAL: Uncommon (poem)

One year

He stayed for one whole year

Single, alone, and a little scared

New house, new life

Independence reigned

Mom and Dad were gone

Death had come for them

But the Beast was also gone,

The Beast that beat me, belittled me,

Told me I was trash

Broke me down every day

That little voice inside got louder and louder

Shouting for me to leave before he killed me

Or I killed him, and went to jail

He was gone, and my life was my own again

July 2004

Tiny old house

Every dime I had

Working class neighborhood

My “How to Fix Almost Anything” book open daily

He appeared about two weeks into my new life

Sitting in the left-hand corner of my front awning, over my front door

A 60-year old metal awning, always cold

A small, brown sparrow

Always alone

No nest

No mate

No friends

He slept there every single night

As winter approached, I was sure he’d leave

He stayed

Nights when the temperature approached 0°

Windy, sleeting, snowing

He curled into himself and slept

No nest

No mate

No friends

And then I met a wonderful man

A good man

A man who loved me with his whole heart

And I loved him

July 2005

Trip to New Orleans with the family

Really in love

Really happy

When I came home, he was gone

He never returned

He left nothing behind

No nest

No mate

No friends

He knew I was alright

He knew I was loved

And his job was done.