Dawn in the Backyard. A poem by Kelli Grinich

I wonder if you will
Know me
When I come out of the pandemic
White hair streaking like stars
Arms no longer of a swimmer
But more a tree branch, grabbing at wind
My eyes squinting thin
Waiting.

I miss the Varied Thrush
The discovered song of morning
A single, lonely note
With the heartbreak of a minor key.

………

Kelli Langrell Grinich is a fifth generation Oregonian and is finishing a memoir about motherhood, love, food poisoning, and the American West. She’s recently completed a residency at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming. Her work has appeared in The Timberline Review, Oregon Humanities, VoiceCatchers, Points West Magazine, and others.