Donna Hilbert

Donna Hilbert’s latest book is Gravity: New & Selected Poems, Tebot Bach, 2018. A new collection, Threnody, is forthcoming from Moon Tide Press in 2022. She is eager to resume leading in-person workshops and hugging her friends. Learn more at www.donnahilbert.com

Morning Again

Morning again, and I await
the crows who wait for me
to look away, that they might
snatch a nut or two
from the empty window frame,
where, at the same time
every day, I set a meal.
Legends say that crows
will leave a gift for those
who feed them, but after
months, all they’ve left behind
are empty shells and trails
of slime. Never mind.
All I want is a daily visit,
a bit of company on the porch.
In this the crows are faithful, kind.
I give thanks, and not reproach.
I’ve had my fill of things that shine.