Bird

--Katharine Coles

Appear as hovercraft,

Smoke and mirrors

Vanishing into air, but feel

Yourself as gristle

And keratin, sinew, barb,

And bone. To rise takes

All the power you

Can muster, more work than

Running yourself into

Heart and breath, more even

Than sleep. A body can’t rest

On the invisible, must

Twist and shift, muscle

Draft and current, wind strafing

The eyes. However you make it

Look effortless, do not

Deceive yourself flight will

Set you free. Want it

Anyway, wind above

And beneath you, lifting hard.