I ate their seeds swallowed some spit out the rest waited til they opened my cage and flew branch to branch town to town and into a few windows I confused with sky.
A few nests along the way lived in a building or two that burned and escaped singed but not ashen.
No Phoenix here just a solo blackbird pecking for scraps in parking lot cracks scars hidden from sunlightβs gaze under dark feathers.
Now I only fly sometimes gliding not too high on black wings with rainbow sheen I sing my songs a bit hoarse and off key.