Silent Blackbirds

Poetry by Trisha Leigh Shufelt

Let me be more than a moment
more than ink on the brink of breakthrough
more than a decorative ornament 
tucked away with no perceived value

let my words stick thick like manuka honey
lace liminal lines beyond space and time
resurrect butterflies from the grave
bleed life into ancient rhymes

let me be a thousand thistle thorns  
pricking your skin with unfortunate truths
blossoming balms of forgiveness
mend your scars at their starless roots

let me freeze moments into memory frames
capture cadence steeped in sorrow
wither wraiths whose angel faces 
feast on lamenting marrow

let me seal your ghosts behind bell jars
silence their ravenous wants
gather grief fogging its crystalline surface
from mouths whose resonance haunts

let me name the rebellious shadows
who reave peace from your thoughts and then
free them as silent blackbirds
caged forever by the retreating winds. 

©Trisha Leigh Shufelt
Avenoir (available now)

About the Author

Trisha Leigh Shufelt is an award-winning confessional poet and artist. Her books are available online, in bookshops, and her work has been featured in several magazines and poetry anthologies. Notably, her poetry book, The Ghosts of Nevermore-Poetry, Prose, and Short Stories Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe was the winner of a 2023 Saturday Visiter (yes, it is spelled that way) Award from the Poe House & Museum of Baltimore, MD.

Her most recent poetry collection, Thundering on the Pink is now available through Kelsay Books and wherever online books are sold. Trisha’s latest books Inside a Lemon Moon, and In Pieces, as well as others published by Art in Soul are available wherever online books are sold.

She is also the author and artist behind the Poe Tarot and the Everglow Divination System through Schiffer Publishing. You can find out more at thepoetrymoth.com.

My poetry is free to read. No pay to play. However, I am working on a new poetry book, which costs money. Any donations are extremely appreciated. Thank you~ Trish. Click on the image to buy me a coffee.