Though pelts had long been traded across Asia, wings and feet removed, Europeans first encountering Birds-of-Paradise believed the birds must have simply floated on air until, like exhausted angels, they fell to earth.
You did not fall, dear heart. We reached for you and,
so surprised our human hands made contact,
pulled you down to what could only be your hell.
Bless us, oh beautiful bird, wingless, footless,
still carrying the scent of cinnamon, cloves, and greed,
for we have surely sinned, so many times
and in so many gruesome ways. We failed to see you,
holy relic, as witness to our own hubris, our inability
to understand that reaching was its own gift.
Oh, beautiful bird, we see you now and bow to you,
ask you to believe we of featherless form can do better,
can be better—truly and without irony—
than what our fathers taught us. We reach now only
for your forgiveness, understanding our penance at last
and firmly resolving, with the help of your grace,
to amend our lives and to see your lovely, still-living
progeny for what they are: testament to what we might
be instead of what we might own.
Paula J. Lambert has published several collections of poetry, including The Ghost of Every Feathered Thing (FutureCycle 2022) and How to See the World (Bottom Dog 2020). Awarded PEN America's L'Engle-Rahman Prize for Mentorship, Lambert's poetry and prose has been supported by the Ohio Arts Council, Greater Columbus Arts Council, and Virginia Center for Creative Arts. Her work has been nominated for several Pushcart and Best of the Net prizes. She lives in Columbus, Ohio.
Upcoming Events:
4/1 / O, Miami Festival Check out a Poet with Jen Karetnick / Books & Books Coral Gables / Live / 2-5 pm / Free
4/2 / O, Miami Festival Heroic Eco-Sonnet Reading: Community Reading with South Florida Poets including Caridad Moro-Gronlier, Jen Karetnick, and Catherine Esposito Prescott / Virtual / 2 pm / Free / Register here
4/6 / O, Miami Festival Cervecería Poesía | A writing workshop, Led by Jen Karetnick, Caridad Moro-Gronlier, and Mary Block, Presented in Partnership with SWWIM / Cervecería La Tropical / Live / 7-9 pm / Pay what you can ($15-$50) / Register here
4/12 / Meet the Artist with Didi Jackson / The Library at The Betsy-South Beach, Miami Beach, FL / Live and Live-Streamed / 6 pm / Free
4/12 / Poetry Reading with Didi Jackson and Judy Ireland / The Library at The Betsy-South Beach, Miami Beach, FL / Live and Live-Streamed / 7:30 pm / Free
4/15 / O, Miami Festival Check out a Poet with Mary Block / Books & Books Coral Gables / Live / 2-5 pm / Free
4/28 / O, Miami Festival Conjuring Spirits: An Ekphrastic Workshop, Led by Caridad Moro-Gronlier, Presented in Partnership with The Deering Estate / Live / Sold-Out
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