12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS
Onward
Here we are again
on the back porch.
Bluebirds eating mealworms
from the feeder
while the brown-chested
nuthatch takes its time
with the sunflower seeds.
Lili, the pup, is at my feet,
and the sun, my God,
this sun feels so good
on a February afternoon.
There’s coffee and a friend’s
new book of poetry.
Can you hear the saxophone
from the jazz man practicing next door?
A sparrow flies over
lands a foot away
on the edge of the table,
looks at me, as if to say
what more do you want?
— Steve Cushman
Steve Cushman is the author of three novels, including Portisville, winner of the 2004 Novello Literary Award. His poetry collection, How Birds Fly, won the 2018 Lena Shull Book Award and his latest volume, The Last Time, was published by Unicorn Press in 2023.