i have long cast a shadow over grief
allowed you to shatter boughs
allowed your wails and blows
to bore into the trunk of me
& hollow out a home

each spring
the sparrows nest and sing
& you climb

reaching for tender branches
while the sparrows take flight
their fluttering wings mimicking the
harrowing of my heart

& each fall
your nails rat-a-tat
against my skin
carving lost names here & there
& there