6 AM
TV news,
weather.

Inside,
outside,
birds

engaged
in nonstop
banter.

Ends
abruptly,
followed

by
neighbor’s
backdoor

swinging
shut,
footsteps.

Fast
forward
into

new phase
of early
ritual.

Another
day
starts.

 

Janet Cormier is a painter, writes prose and poetry, and performs comedy. Janet prefers different and original over pretty. She loves collecting stuff, but cleaning not so much. Janet also talks to strangers. A lot. Her column appears weekly on Oddball Magazine.