So then, stick by stick
tonight we tear off strip after strip
the newest feathers first
then the older twigs and vines
with each one
my heart drops
until there’s nothing left
and nowhere lower
empty branches
where our sweet home once was
Inch by inch
we pack and divide the moss
all the soft things we’ve collected
years of careful, loving selection
pecking them away, each and every one
my heart stops
as we place them in our beaks
to separate forever
over an unknown distance
a meaningless assortment
of what once was our sweet home
Doing what we know we must
we both say it’s for the best
the home we had just turns to dust
pull apart the perfect nest
You fly south
I stay north
and never again
will our sweet home be here…
Thanks for reading.