Jude

Baby bird,
broken limbs,
paying for
another's sins

My two cupped hands
to scoop you in,
and keep you warm,
skin to skin

Your anguish so thick,
it drips from the page,
I feel quite like you
in your thick, paper cage

Forced to repeat
the same little life,
when you're worthy of more
and it cuts like a knife

And though you must stay,
part of you will be free,
for wherever I go,
you are always with me

Author's Note

For Jude.

'A Little Life'
by Hanya Yanagihara

Reviews

[Zugzwang]

The first stanza is amazing.
Compassion shines through in this piece...being a heathen I had to look up Jude lol.
The image of the baby bird is super powerful. I may have to steal it.
Great metaphors all around. ..this piece resonated with me and will stay in my mind for a while.
Great rhyming too. Always good to read.

[Gaia Octavia]

Jude is a fictional character in my favorite book, 'A Little Life' by Hanya Yanagihara. I identified with him during a difficult dive to the depths of my iceberg 😉 He remains with me because of that.

As always, thank you for your kind review. Always a pleasure to read yours as well; I look forward to more.

[Gaia Octavia]

P.S. "steal" away 😊 I don't own any rights on the concept of baby birds hehe

For some reason, I always see a broken little baby bird when I think of Jude.

[Zugzwang]

Inneresting since St. Jude us the patron saint of lost causes.
Gotta run, chat later

[Gaia Octavia]

👍 not a coincidence me thinks

[Zugzwang]

Aha! Complexity from the complex. Icebergs are complex things too but the prosaic metaphors I use are just tools of blunt force speaking to trauma.
Having just walked out of my first poetry lecture, I can say that I will be producing lots of pieces in formats I do not particularly like, but will aid my development as a tortured artist.
Prepare for some terrible poetry.
You have been warned.

[Gaia Octavia]

Oh, I've been there! And posted them in all their disgraceful glory 😁 Can't wait!

[Zugzwang]

It's gonna be fun 😅