​POETRY  -  
          A New Day 

"Bare branches can't feed this bird,
​so why does the magpie sing?"
                                    Photo by Weebly.com                                    

Magpie
by MJ Moore

In Monet’s miraculous canvas,
a magpie sits on a fence
in early morning snow.
Brilliant brushstrokes extend an invitation
to walk along the path that leads to the gate
and leave the first footfalls after predawn storm.
Blinding light and long shadows vie for the heart.
 
Yet the painting poses a riddle.
Bare branches can’t feed this bird,
so why does the magpie sing?
 
In a humble building in the background
someone stirs in bed,
surfacing from eiderdown
with the sun’s first smile.
 
Someone ready to stretch and rise,
     sweep snow from the stoop,
          and spread birdseed for the day.​

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​​MJ Moore lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her various incarnations have included technical writer and editor, grassroots environmental activist, first grade teacher, poet and flash fiction writer, wife, and mother. Strongly bicoastal, she thrives on salt air, wind and waves, but also loves mountains, deserts, forests and streams. Writing, for her, is a source of vision and joy. Her poem, “Cello Suite,” was previously published in Bach in the Afternoon, Poems from the Blue Light Press Summer 2018 Workshop.

Other works in this issue:
Poetry: 
​Fallow Season
Photo Essay:   
Interesting Garden Scenes

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