New same Year
January 2021
Every day, I am a mother,
and I am asked to explain
things I don’t really understand
– like contrails or the monarchy or how Cheerios
are made –
but I am running out of words
this year.
My country lighting itself
on fire
your eyes hopeful
for an answer
to the necessary Why?
My lame reply:
Can you eat
your oatmeal,
please?
For a lifetime, I’ll regret that lie.
Let me answer now:
We humans, if we cannot fly,
we choose to die
bringing others down.
Flock of starlings high in murmuration
out the kitchen window. There is a why
for every seeming senseless flight.
Steph Ellen Feeney was born in Louisiana, and holds a BA from Georgetown University and an MA from UCL. She lives in Suffolk, where she is working on her first collection of poetry.
Instagram: @stephellenfeeney