The Struggle between Plenty and Thankfulness
Today when I framed
two crows
in the notch of the ash tree,
I thought of order.
Rain
was in the forecast
and presto, rain. Then
three crows
in the field tilted the world
as if imbalance were
a blessing
dropped in the cup I keep
for blessings. Then
four crows
in the grass, five
on the wire, my plate
heaped up
with six crows.
And to give thanks,
to tell God
six crows were enough,
I lit prayer papers
in the garden—
their orange slippers,
their black, abstract
petals like
anti-confetti, like
hopeful ash, like
a thousand crows.
Then, a thousand crows.
Then, a Thousand Crows
Anhinga Press
from Poetry Daily
