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POETIC MESSENGER
Crow on a No Dumping Sign
Heed her wisdom
Sorry, mom
I won’t spill your ashes on your favorite
desert today,
can’t say a prayer on federal land,
intruders prohibited on public property
There’s no trespassing
even for a feral spirit
The crows know more than we do,
coyotes sing howling folksongs,
the wind swirls an orange light,
and the snake bites the jackrabbit
who’s lost in the moonless night
Unless you want your son
prosecuted and fined,
you better heed the ‘No Dumping’ sign,
and stay huddled in your box of char,
where your soul shall remain unscattered.
© 2024 Mark Tulin
~This poem was first published in 2021 in the now-defunct Vita Brevis.
The crow as a messenger: Some crow spiritualists believe the number of crows you encounter is meaningful. The appearance of a solitary crow is a message from a deceased loved one.
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