Ode to the Lark’s Song

for Laure-Anne

Silver is the chain
aaaaaaSilver the song
aaaaaaaaaaaaSilver the heart
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaSilver the lights, the wing beats,
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaathe hollow bones,
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAble to break light ―
aaaaaaSilver the plume
aaaaaaSilver the crest,
aaaaaaSilver the sweet striving liquid sound
aaaaaasent to argue God ―

Silver the sinews, the nerves
aaaaaaof lights that don’t dim.
aaaaaaaaaaaaaHundreds spin, specks in sun.

aaaaaaSilver is the spider-webbed dew.
aaaaaaSilver is the shell in sea foam.
aaaaaaSilver is the eye lying on its fragile white bed.
aaaaaaSilver is sun, silver then moon,
aaaaaaaaaaato birth the lark, nested, brown, alert
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaNo net,
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaNot netted,
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaSoaring ―

***

Elizabeth Mercurio is a poet living in Tampa, Florida. She earned an MFA in poetry from The Solstice Low-Residency Program of Pine Manor College. Her work has appeared in Philadelphia Stories, Third Point Press, and is forthcoming in Fledgling Rag.