Just when you think
you know all the birds'
names, there’s a twist
in some gene somewhere
and there’s a new name,
or an exotic bird
nobody’s ever seen,
hiding behind humility
in some jungle with a call
that sounds, if you stretch
it, like someone needs help
or a distant siren. So why
bother, is what I’m thinking
now, why bother to learn
names from a list that
keeps moving. It would
be easier just to listen
to the sounds and
watch the paths
of their lives light up
the sky in some order
you have no chance,
ever, of grasping.
Casey Killingsworth π
The secret handshake of the ignorant
Author Reading
About the Author
Casey Killingsworth has been published in numerous journals, including The American Journal of Poetry, Better Than Starbucks, and 3rd Wednesday. His latest book is A nest blew down (Kelsay Books, 2021), and a new collection, Freak show (Fernwood Press), is due out in late 2022. Of Casey’s writing, former Oregon poet laureate Paulann Petersen said “These poems are hardscrabble-stark, but deeply wise.”