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A Bird on a Branch

Hidden in plain sight

Deborah Barchi
Scribe
1 min readMar 29, 2023

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Photo by Maddy Weiss on Unsplash

I can hear you spilling a bright melody
from a naked branch high above,
as yet unclothed by Spring;

but I cannot see you, feathered sprite,
though I strain and stare
through eyes grown red with unshed tears.

What magic do you conjure,
What cloak of invisibility do you wear
as you unfurl your soul , ignoring me

earthbound creature that I am
wishing I could with one bold leap
reach the top of the tree

there to sing beside you
hidden in plain sight,
finding at last my best, true life.

Birds are a kind of living metaphor, aren’t they?

How can any of us listen to a bird, watch it fly, and if we are lucky, catch its eye and exchange a confidence or two without wishing we could, even for a moment, share its vivid life?

We can learn quite a bit from watching birds. Here’s another poem published in Scribe that I hope you will enjoy.

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Scribe
Scribe

Published in Scribe

Stories and poems that matter. Emotion first and foremost.

Deborah Barchi
Deborah Barchi

Written by Deborah Barchi

Deborah Barchi has recently retired from her career as a librarian and now has time to read, explore nature, and write poetry and essays.

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