I stop to watch
as a choir of birds rises out of the cemetery
and tucks into the pews of a winter-bare maple
—bending to hear each note,
swaying to both chorus and verse.
Ite, missa est, whispers the wind,
and the birds return to earth,
disappearing into the gravestones,
as if to await the next call
for a song.
I go on, humming.
Benjamin D. Carson lives with his dog Dora on the South Shore of Massachusetts. His creative work has appeared in many literary publications, including Rumble Fish Quarterly, Yellow River Review, Cactus Heart, and October Hill Magazine. His chapbook We Give Birth to Light: Poems was published by Finishing Line Press in June 2021.