Nightlight

A bird in song, Santa Clarita, California

Nightlight

Once I was
a sweet song bird

joyful as the jingle
of a kid’s bike bell

gentle as a breeze
on my mother’s shoulders

strong as the strands
on a spider’s web

Then I dimmed
as if the night
light in the hall

the bell whispered
the breeze stilled
the silk softened
and I sat down
to rest

This poem is also part of a collection I put together called All the Shapes of Joy.