10/08/2025
The Only Crow I Can Keep
(For Lyric)
For the crow
born in the cage,
and the one watching
the incense curl
This one does not fly —
but she watches.
Nestled beside birthday flowers
and the scent of firewood longing,
she blinks
with the hush of October
and stays.
I do not feed her.
I do not free her.
She was born in the cage,
and so she is not trapped.
She listens
to the sound of pages turning.
She waits
for the rustle of the front door
on Halloween.
She knows
I love her
and that the wild ones
still come.
TJ Phoenix 10.8.25
