Trust Like This

my dream as a poem, my dream as art

mixed media in sketchbook (not for sale)

last night i dreamt a wild bird landed on my outstretched arm
white and blue, light as breath
looking straight into me
like it knew the shape of my wishes
people gathered, stunned, hushed,
but i was already crying
i’ve wanted this my whole life, i said,
not to them
not to the bird
not to the doubt
not to the noise
not to the past
but to the moment
the bird didn’t flinch
it didn’t fly away
it didn’t look away
it looked directly at me
it stayed
a soft weight
a resounding yes
not a pet
not a prize
not a challenge
just a presence
meeting me in stillness
i’d finally become quiet enough
to be trusted
i’ve always believed in magic
i like the grand kind with tricks
and kicks
but i also like the quiet kind
with a hush
and hmmmm
it shows up like a breeze
and looks you in the eye
it doesn’t know you
but it lands anyway
the bird didn’t bring a message
it was the message
a reminder that something wild
something bright
something that could have flown past me
chose not to
and maybe that’s what faith is
not reaching
not calling
just being still enough
so that the thing you love
knows where to land

For the collectors, the curators, the curious, please visit anniewood.com to see what I’ve been up to.