Dual
What comes flickering on the wind is not quite a bird, more
the idea that a feathered being would choose to nest
near enough to let me hear the beating of its heart.
That I might find myself companioned by sparrow,
phoebe, dove or raucous mockingbird, scrubjay
or crow squabbling above high tension
wires. Not so much abandoning my kind
as wanting dual citizenship, the nod
of recognition from my neighbor and
the hummingbird’s lack of fear
when we hover by the feeder,
face to unmasked face.
Penelope Moffet is the author of three chapbooks, most recently Cauldron of Hisses (Arroyo Seco Press, 2022). Her poems have been published in One, Natural Bridge, Permafrost, The Sow’s Ear Poetry Review and other literary journals. She lives in Southern California.
