the crow

I travelled across state lines
to collect lavender
for a woman

I knocked on her door
kissed the insides of her wrists
and stepped inside

she shook her head
and coughed up a crow
that guffawed at my efforts
and made a mess of my hair

it thrashed about the foyer
sending me tumbling backwards
backwards
onto the stoop

she locked the door

the stars appeared one by one
like allies

I watched
from the ground
through the windows
while she hunted the crow
scolding it for revealing itself

I watched
my love
forget me first
then the crow
then the dark

and use my lavender to make her tea
and crawl into bed
wide-eyed
until sleep enveloped her, unlocking her jaw

and the crow crept back into
my love’s gaping mouth
without a sound

[by Sarah E. // published in the Dime Show Review January 2020]