Réka Nyitrai

Ode to birds

as a small child I was adopted by birds.

my foster parents lived in a tree hollow
and fed me and my siblings with mice.

as an adult I have a nine-to-five job,
live in a  high-rise apartment
and feel lonely and cold.

even now, so many years later, I remember
how my bird-parents preened and stroked
my mane telling me how much they love me,
however different from them
I was.

every Christmas I write to Santa Claus
and ask for a sign from my bird-parents
but all that I’ve noticed 
is feathers floating
through a hole in the ceiling.

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