My only friend,
He visits every day,
Stays far longer than
Any human companion would.

Understanding perfectly
That now, my dotage
Is veneered with
Layer, upon uncomfortable layer,
Of infirmity.

His songs are determined.

And I never complain.

That’s our arrangement.
I never ask for less than his
Routine, an everyday song.

Often I’d like to help my slow-learning
Visitor understand
that knocking his head against
The window causes headaches, nothing more.
But he is content to continue.
His ways are pure
And seem to work.

How clever!

He mIgrates by night
Using the stars to navigate.
Wise above all else.

But things change.

My special friend,
What will happen to him,
In days to come?
Will he visit and bang his head
On the glass
When I am dead ?

I do not fear, for
In his magic,sweet, gentle way he sings
So I know
we will keep on together,
To touch,
Star by star,
Trill by trill, the pathway
toward our new home.

I close my eyes
And understand.
We’ll surely fly off to a
Beautiful unknown.

Charlene James-Duguid
Amissville, Virginia
May 26, 2018