There it is,
a flash in the corner of the eye —
Look full on, nothing, but a laugh.
Still, there is something,
a glimpse of her plaid house dress,
her nose pressed up against the lilac.
A rag tied around her pink curlers,
one strand floats free.
The skeptic,
a shake of the head, a smile unnerved.
Another day, another flicker,
a brush of tail, spirals
around a fire-charred oak,
but the dogs don’t even look
or sniff the air.
A sparkle next to the sun,
confronted, fades like a vapor trail when
even so, wings rustle and tickle the ear.
No feathers, no call, no streak across the sky.
Burst through the door, distracted
there she is again, disappearing,
while the bird feeder swings,
newly full of seed.