Everything
I’m not waiting anymore
for the bird outside my window
to do something new.
I wanted to be less bored or
for something different
to happen: less arriving,
less leaving, perhaps more
plot twists – like a fallen branch
or a snake.
I kept telling myself
It’s just a bird.
It’s just a bird.
It’s just a bird.
And yet, it’s everything.
I’d be lost if the inflection
of her babies’ chirps didn’t keep
bringing her back.
Ali Salzmann graduated with an MFA in Creative Writing from Texas State University, where she currently works as a Lecturer. She is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Austin Community College.