Bye-bye Blackbird
by Lylanne Musselman
To Wounded Bird and Cat, 1938 – Picasso
The cat’s
bloated belly
fades into
the blues—
a blackbird,
once vibrant
and free,
now limp,
feathers plucked—
unsung music
from a beak
agape, its
last song
fed black
cat’s hunger
for winged beauty,
plump breast,
wishbone.
Bio: Lylanne Musselman is a native Hoosier with many family, friendship, and poetry ties that keep her returning often. An award-winning artist and poet, she has been published in many literary journals and anthologies. She’s authored three chapbooks, and co-authored Company of Women: New and Selected Poems (Chatter House Press, 2013) with Jayne Marek and Mary Sexson. Although, in 2011, she moved to Toledo, Ohio, she continues teaching online writing classes for Ivy Tech Community College, Indianapolis.
by Lylanne Musselman
To Wounded Bird and Cat, 1938 – Picasso
The cat’s
bloated belly
fades into
the blues—
a blackbird,
once vibrant
and free,
now limp,
feathers plucked—
unsung music
from a beak
agape, its
last song
fed black
cat’s hunger
for winged beauty,
plump breast,
wishbone.
Bio: Lylanne Musselman is a native Hoosier with many family, friendship, and poetry ties that keep her returning often. An award-winning artist and poet, she has been published in many literary journals and anthologies. She’s authored three chapbooks, and co-authored Company of Women: New and Selected Poems (Chatter House Press, 2013) with Jayne Marek and Mary Sexson. Although, in 2011, she moved to Toledo, Ohio, she continues teaching online writing classes for Ivy Tech Community College, Indianapolis.
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| Wounded Bird and Cat |