the squeak - bird baby

 i never knew you

but from the moment

i heard that cry

my stomach sank right through me.


my dog dropped you 

a wet, weeping mass

from her open jaws as i rushed over.


you must’ve been from the bush 

next to the new swingset

fallen out in a desperate bid

to see the world


i was only a child too.


all i could do 


was hold you as best i can


and wait for the pain to pass.


i still wonder if you rest there, sometimes

in the old backyard.


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