House Wren

House Wren

Troglodytes aedon

to have so much in common with a brown bird
especially now during this pandemic

she and I cave dwellers—troglodytes that gnaw
at seeds, insects, and time—she awaits her brood

to grow and fly away—while I long for my children
to return to this garden to play and forage

we bide our lives in this same meadow
she a gifted songster that gurgles and stutters

while my voice rises in bursts of silent loneliness
we let each other share this side-by-side communion

her black eye eyes my own as I near her wooden house
over the fence of my garden—her tail-cocks a wave

I say hello with two fingers at my temple
—the grace between neighbors

as I nibble an apricot—she feasts on a moth
we dream of company soon