flaming jewels

bird #23 or, flying lessons

I showed him bird after bird. They knocked around my chest for a while, then flew out between my ribs.

"See how it's done?" I asked.

"I'll plummet like a stone," he confessed.

"You shall not," I said.

"I'm scared," he said.

"Don't be," I replied and broke his wings.

I had to re-set them, you see. They'd healed all crooked and bent. Snapped them like twigs I did & splinted them back together.

"You are ready now," I said.

"I'm scared," he said.

"Don't be," I replied and shoved him to the willow tree.

He clambered up like a quick black spider. Bowyn a dark broken thing perched in a tree.

A willow tree.

(willow o willow weep for me)

Our eyes locked for a moment his shadowed and fearful mine all narrow and knowing & willow branches in-between.

I knocked one more bird out of my chest. It shot straight to the moon.

(willow o willow will you weep for me)

I smiled.

"Fly," I said.

He crouched lower on the branch.

[pause]

"FLY" I screamed.

He stretched.

[pause]

("fly") I whispered.

He opened his mouth like a baby bird & nothing came out but something flew in.

With one long arm I raised my pistol and pointed it at him.

(Be afraid, I thought)

"Pull,"

I said, calmly.

And he flew--

With a leap and a cry he jumped and wings

s t r e t c h e d

the willow caressed him (weep o weep for me) and all the soot was brushed off his wings revealing the truth of him, the beautiful midnight blue-black of him.

Blue-black of him. Truth of him.

He passed in front of the moon, arms outstretched and feet pedaling.

The first flight is always the most the most--

"I'll catch you if you fall," I said and put the gun to my head.

Smiling then with aquamarine lips spread wide showing cut ruby teeth sharp & biting ready to

"Pull Pull Pull"

But I threw the gun in the Hawthorn tree and watched Bowyn fly, instead.

"Don't be afraid."

I swallowed back the next hope bird and licked the blood off my rrrrrruby teeth.

"I'll catch you if you fall."

(Here ends the first flying lesson)

jewel@gleeful.com
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