A Host of Sparrows

    for Dave Weyer, 1950-2015

    by Janet Sunderland

Yearlings, by the looks of them, descend from an empty sky

buffed clean by wind,

peck at frozen seeds, stagger some, gusted sideways

not as cows stand,

head to head, shoulders braced, hind quarters

to danger.

We stand at his open grave. Shoulder to shoulder, part cow,

part sparrow;

we are buffed by the unforgiving prairie wind’s shudder.

Fake grass his blanket,

no seeds, only prairie, forever the prairie,

stretched in the wind.

© 2016  Janet Sunderland

Janet Sunderland grew up on a farm in Marshall County, Kansas and drifted like a cottonseed across the United States, Europe, Mexico, and the Caribbean before moving to Kansas City with her husband, Cliff Kroski. She is a memoirist, a poet, and an editor. Her poetry collection, At the Boundary, was released by Finishing Line Press. Poems and essays have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. She’s currently working on a book length memoir, Written on the Reverse and serves as Vice-President on the executive board of Whispering Press. She’s a professional actor, a member of SAG-AFTRA, and teaches writing and public speaking.