Goldfinch, by Billy Howell-Sinnard

The Goldfinch, by Carel Fabritius (Netherlands). 1654.

Goldfinch

Oh, I've seen that look 
many times before.
Up against the world. 
Alone. This refuge

away from others 
for a moment of peace.
Perched above it all
as if on a throne

left by the Watcher. 
A stiff upper beak, 
they tell you. How 
your little heart

trembles. You can't
escape life forever.
The good and the bad
are out there, waiting.

Billy Howell-Sinnard

This poem was written for the surprise ekphrastic poetry challenge on birds.
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Billy is a hospice case manager. He's been writing seriously for the last ten years. His poems have been published in anthologies and online poetry publications. He has also published short verse: haiku, haiga, haibun, and tanka. Billy is a graphic artist and sculptor as well. He studied cast metal sculpting at the University of Iowa under Julius Schmidt.