Swallows by Benjamin Chee Chee, by Cyndi MacMillan

Swallows by Benjamin Chee Chee, 197?

Swallows by Benjamin Chee Chee

Sunshine sends shadow, he warns,
then describes the feathering

of his mother’s bangs
and the spirit she could not find.

Colour is a barrier, he warns,
condemns the red man,

seals him up in the coldness
of infinite white.

I draw what I see, he says,
life between connecting lines,

motion beyond simple confinement,
the true purpose of flight.

Cyndi MacMillan

This poem was written as part of the ekphrastic 20 Poem Challenge.

Cyndi MacMillan poetry has recently appeared in Grain Magazine and the Fieldstone Review.  Her verse, short fiction and novel-in-progress resentfully compete for her attention.  She lives in New Hamburg, Ontario, home to North America’s largest working water wheel. Coffee and family allow ideas to percolate.