My love, with his binoculars
and advanced degrees, has traipsed us all
to the Galapagos, where we scramble
up rocky landings, try to shield ourselves
from sun. We're here to study finches,
the color of their feathers, their important beaks.
I want to go home
and be with him alone in our own yard,
rain soaking the grass and making it slippery.
I want him to balance on one foot
like the flightless cormorant
while the downpour bends long-necked sunflowers,
thin blue birds flaunt their energy and purpose,
and the children are long gone-joy
so strong someone might call it grief.

Wendy Mnookin

Wendy Mnookin is the author of: What He Took, BOA Editions (Rochester, NY), 2002; and To Get Here, BOA Editions (Rochester, NY), 1999.