Phibby Venable

There are so many ways to fly south -
south being a palm tree, a coconut concoction
of the heart
I want to ride on a music note that brakes
for the melodies of goldfinches,
a baby laughing in Marietta, Georgia,
the long line of cotton fields
smooth with old songs
I want to land on lilies & leap
frog the white quartz through wildflowers
When dusk is a plum sky of lovely shadows
and the indigo butterflies rise
I want to watch the lights of a riverboat,
dip once in the Mississippi, and linger
slowly in the warm breath of dusk
When the music note grows tired
we will land on the wings of a guardian -
One already accustomed to my attempts to fly
One aware of my weakness for a beautiful try