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Wagtail~ By Orit Yeret

7/24/2017

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remember I taught you
birds are smarter than people,
that they know when to migrate
and when to return, unlike us…
but this is not a poem about birds,
it is about the human condition –
if I use serious words maybe you'll follow my
train of thought even when it seems fleeting 
I'm counting on you, my reader, my critic 
though many things are out of my reach
in this world, you are mine as you read these lines
our experiences on this earth are clashing
it is a mission I choose to accept
but this is not a poem about power,
because then I would have to admit
i abuse it too much –
don't give it to me if you value your freedom
i wish i was a bird, not any kind of bird
but a wagtail so I can still perform
my dance in the rain,
and be wise enough to know when to stop to 
embrace winter with all the baggage it brings
because what we have between us are running water
and the tide that continues to gain speed
meet me at the read of our creek,
I'll climb the ledge and jump twice
before diving in
but this is not a poem about swimming,
if it was I'd be sinking by now
since i've never learned how to float
and it is definitely not about the shape of your smile
or what I learn about myself when I am with you –
I am a wagtail
in this
stream of consciousness
that seems to shoot out of my mouth,
like darts hitting the target board
if I wag my tail over and over perhaps
you'll reappear and say this was all a dream
because becoming a bird is a way of life,
it is a sacrifice I must consider,
like living in a hollow tree
but this poem is not about nature,
not in its physical sense or so it seems
nor is it about what I see in my eyes
when they are reflected through yours
and still, I twirl to the pulses my heart creates
whenever I am with you – remember,
I taught you about birds,
I gave you the power that comes with knowledge
thinking you might be able to – understand,
I see language as an endless battle 
as a continuous string  
 

Author Bio:
Orit Yeret is a writer, artist and teacher. Born and raised in Israel, now living in the US, she writes in both Hebrew & English while many times testing the balance between order and disorder that language allows. 
She has self-published three poetry collections in recent years, and currently working on her next one. 
http://orityeret.webs.com
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