Today we visited good friends for lunch.
As we discussed the world’s sorry state,
a yellow and black Goldfinch landed on
a tall sunflower on the back wooden deck.
Rain clouds had begun to shroud the Catskill
peaks. Circles of grey, shadows of charcoal
emphasized the sunflower bed’s aureate glow.
The butter-hued bird was star of the show.
Would cops be at the polls? Would there be
a martial law declaration? A breeze caught
the flower, rustled it to the right. The finch
hustled with it as it veered back to center.
Would it ever be safe to eat lettuce again?
Would climate change leave our skies colored like
metal? The finch bent down past petals,
pulled out a seed as the reed thin stem moved
against wind. He swayed as if dancing in
a conga line. Swish swish swish hop. Swish
swish swish hop. He dropped onto another
flower, stayed for seconds, popped right back.
Will young people go out to vote? How can
we retain hope? How can we cope as daily
outrage becomes rote? The bird dared us to
watch him at play in early afternoon light.
Our (he was “ours” now) Goldfinch was unwilling
to wallow in woe. He leapt upward, stopped –
wings aflutter—then turned, returned to his
floret launch pad where he glanced our way:
There are seeds to snatch. Breezes to catch.
As if prearranged, sunflowers shifted, shivered.
Petals quivered—amber arcs arrayed against
a grieving sky. Glistening like a firefly’s spark,
he stayed put—as if listening, as if he thought
our exchange mattered. We loved our brilliant bird then.
He was an augur of resilience, of possibilities. Soon,
he lifted, drifted high, veered toward the mountain range.
Mary K O’Melveny, has authored five poetry collections and a chapbook, including If You Want To Go To Heaven, Follow A Songbird (Jerry Jazz Musician 2024); Flight Patterns (Kelsay 2023) (nominated for the Eric Hoffer Book Award); Merging Star Hypotheses (Finishing Line 2020), semi-finalist, The Washington Prize/The Word Works). What Remains? (Broadstone Books) will debut in fall 2026. A three-time Pushcart nominee, Mary’s award-winning poems are widely published. Mary lives with her wife near Woodstock, New York.
