rebeca

The Sandhill Cranes

I clicked my heels and mentioned you three times to the tree fellers at the bar. There’s no one like you. There’s no one like you. There’s no one like you. And nothing happened. I’m always mentioning you to strangers, all your fires and your feats. I need to stop because I’m sure you’re notContinue reading “The Sandhill Cranes”

things are starting to fall into place

Juvenile Western Bluebirds are flying erratically across the front yard from tree to tree. It’s as if they’re showing off they can fly now. Their beaks are too large for their face and they barely have any blue on them at all. At first I thought them to be juvenile European Starlings because of theContinue reading “things are starting to fall into place”

The Great-tailed Grackle Whisperer

I’ve been gone for days and I like checking in on my house without me in it. There are more than a dozen live fires in the area and I left the living room light on. I’m hoping my Santa Lucia Island Sage will survive this heat without water. My mother is going to giveContinue reading “The Great-tailed Grackle Whisperer”

family of foxes

Charlie, what do you think? You outlasted frostbite and followed every beast. Can you sing? Can you love? Because if you can’t by now it don’t look good for us. I had thought my mulberries would go to waste this fall, but a family of foxes moved in. The mom watches me and only walksContinue reading “family of foxes”

cavity nesters

Maybe there’s a God above But, all I’ve ever learned from loveWas how to shoot somebody who outdrew you This nesting season, the Western Bluebird nesting boxes were taken over byEuropean Starlings. It wasn’t my intention to harbor this aggressively invasivespecies, but once it happened, what was I to do? Steal the eggs? Kill thefledglings?Continue reading “cavity nesters”

playing at love

In a matter of seconds, I became your wife and gave us a life together. When I called the hotel housekeeping to see if they had recovered your shirt I accidentally left in the closet, to be your wife seemed much easier than the actual truth. The Housekeeping manager didn’t need to know we areContinue reading “playing at love”

Wasted Fruit

a good fantasy

My lover equates me with the city so I wanted him to see my mountain town for himself. He drove me to the convenient store and the post office to get my mail. The post office doesn’t come here so we’re entitled to a free mail box at the post office off Highway 299. WhenContinue reading “a good fantasy”

fire of another kind

I pull over and my hands are shaking. I didn’t realize it had rattled me that much to accidentally be driving behind the rodeo cowboy for a few miles. I text my therapist. She understands the seriousness of it and says, “are you okay? You want to talk?” I tell her I’m okay, and willContinue reading “fire of another kind”

Take me as I am

He first came here for the river and the salmon. He keeps coming back for me. He says he’s never met anyone who likes birds so much. He also says he likes me drunk because my walls come down and I sweet talk. He likes to take care of me and I let him. AndContinue reading “Take me as I am”