An Explanation for That Flock of Crows

A thread of birds has settled outside your door
Spring is coming, and you lean back
Waiting for its root-juicy kiss
Politely, charmingly
Once during a summer
You came without shoes, without any maps
And settled into my elbow
While this hemisphere turned blue
We were urban, unkind animals
And I never once thought of Champagne
How often you’d want me to tell you your future
Show me your palms, the lumps on your head
As if I knew what my mother knows best
How to inflame things at a distance
Now you think of me with a casual chuckle
Now you save me like an auctioned-off bon-bon
Brought out on a doily for guests to admire
I know, and it’s all in my pocket
Just press your ear against your back door
There’s a sound I’ve sent
It’s there to haunt you
Like a cello, like a buzzsaw
I hope you’re enjoying yourself