After a Long Absence, I Return

I pass a flock of red winged blackbirds.
They startle, rise and fall like breath,
arrow away across an open field,
disappear into fine river mist.

Alone in a shrouded world,
hills rise from thinning fog.
After so long away, the road is new.
I trust the GPS, drive to our old house,
an approaching specter in the fog.

Hellhounds erupt out the back door.
My brother follows, an apparition—
heavier, beard tinged gray—deep voice
calling off the dogs, greeting me.

He looks like our father.

The missed time evaporates.
Morning sun hammers at clouds
as my heart rises and rises again,
following the path of blackbirds,
whirling, an exhalation of haze.

*

Constance Brewer’s poetry has appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies. She is the editor for Gyroscope Review poetry magazine, the author of Piccola Poesie: A Nibble of Short Form Poetry, and an upcoming co-authored chapbook, Prayer Gardening (Kelsay Books 2023). Constance is a big fan of Welsh Corgis and whiteline woodcuts. constancebrewer.com