Gathering
The mustard thrush picks at ivy — speckled sun in the brown wood damp. My fingers are numb looking for narrative out here; none of them wondering if they're doing enough of the thing that makes them feel connected to themselves. The squirrel with her cheeks full of leaves could be carrying the universe so sure is she of the nested Spring to come. I scratch my skin in frustration and fill my cheeks with words. C. LJ Ireton, 2026