The Single Life
Jeremy Radin
A couple was picnicking in the park.
I was there to go to the public garden
for a couple sprigs of wild rosemary
to tuck into my stew. A little songbird
alighted as I passed them, its little face
a spray of scarlet. The boyfriend said
Wow, what a lovely bird, it’s got such
gorgeous coloring. & I did not say it
then, but I knew that it was blood—
two blocks away a flock of them had
slaughtered & picked clean a horse.
I was there to go to the public garden
for a couple sprigs of wild rosemary
to tuck into my stew. A little songbird
alighted as I passed them, its little face
a spray of scarlet. The boyfriend said
Wow, what a lovely bird, it’s got such
gorgeous coloring. & I did not say it
then, but I knew that it was blood—
two blocks away a flock of them had
slaughtered & picked clean a horse.
Jeremy Radin is a writer, actor, teacher, and extremely amateur gardener. His poems have appeared (or are forthcoming) in Ploughshares, The Colorado Review, Crazyhorse, Gulf Coast, The Journal, and elsewhere. He is the author of two collections of poetry: Slow Dance with Sasquatch (Write Bloody Publishing, 2012) and Dear Sal (Not A Cult, 2022). He is the founder and operator of Lanternist Creative Consulting, through which he coaches writers and performers. Follow him @germyradin
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