Sorrow Song Poem by Heather Ann Shepard

Sorrow Song
"Who knows if birds are not a collection of all our sorrows" Colette Marin-Catherine
Last night I cried in my dreams because of stories
pasted together from small moments of my day
pain too deep to admit, rejection, fear

In the darkness of 5 am, birds sing
How do they know when it is the right time to begin?
Their compositions signal that they exist
I hear their conversations but do not understand
But that is not why they are here.

I cannot internalize the world's historical pain
How each story creates a whole

All I can do is listen to one person's story
And imagine the sorrow
Allow the birds to collect my thoughts
Create a soundtrack for my reflection

And fly away
only to return the next day
With another story, a new song from the same notes.