Morning Poem

Whatever else could be said is done.
It's so cold outside that some birds have come
into my room to sleep. They flutter and coo
in the warmth and doze on my t-shirts.
I am naming them later today and feeding
them walnuts that were left behind.
All night I dreamt of brave Odysseus
and his disguise at the banquet making
them think he was a tramp a lesser man
some big trick but he got it right in the end
and shot the arrow through the axe heads.
When it's like this I am all that I can take
watching steam curl from rooftops
golden light in windows as people
prepare for ordinary days.
I remember ordinary days: getting ready to do
something and doing it without this strange new
heavy coat I have to wear around now. I bump into things
I drop dishes I limp around like I've
been kicked in the heart.
Hello birds, flutter above me as I rise
I will not abandon you.