There is an empty bell tower outside my window

It sits atop an empty church that hugs an empty street

From what I can see some birds have claimed the bell tower as their perch

They swirl around it in formations of great precision

Then, one by one, they land upon its angled rooftop

The birds take their rightful places there to rest or perhaps just wait

They have not given up or admitted any despair from what I can tell

They do stay still up there a long while, however

And when they feel the impulse to carry on

They fly away in one swath to their next destination

These particular birds may or may not return here someday

I do not know them well enough to say

Yet I do find peace in watching them this morning

Each of them worthy and alive

Each of them faithful to their call

Each of them moving onward

By Lisa Steiner, Associate