Fowl Girl

Lindsay Sopko

little bird [fledgling phoenix]
island beauty / Darwinian obsession
preening pretty broken wings
within a tidal pool’s reflection 

calling out to far-flung lovers
with her haunting siren song
pulling sailors from the seas
like shiny pearls, strung along

little bird [forged in fire]
wings alight above the flames
circles like a pretty vulture
picking at bereft remains 

I should like to light a pyre
one to surely draw you in
and paint myself in smoldering ashes
from your love with bartered men

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Lindsay Sopko
Lindsay Sopko is a poet, podcaster, and freelance journalist based in sunny San Diego. Previously published in The Corpus Callosum: Dreams & Nightmares, her poetry explores the intersection of mental health, sexuality, and the natural world. Lindsay holds a B.A. in English from Mary Baldwin University, and after serving in the U.S. Army, she decided to pursue an M.A. in Journalism from Emerson College. When not writing or studying, you can find Lindsay preparing for a 5K or starting (yet another) arts & crafts project. To see more of her work, please visit lindsaysopko.com.