My guest today is friend and long-time mentor / collaborator, Lilija Valis, who has kindly allowed me to share one of her many poems. Bio below. Enjoy. Barbed Wire No nest materials for birds in the drought stricken Dust Bowl -- fertile soil and plants ripped off by dust storms -- desperation ruled but crows have hard-times survival embedded in their cells – they stole wire and barbed wire from farmers, carefully twisted them into homes to protect their young. A Texas photo from the 1930s pays tribute to the barbed wire nest. Home is where you can close your dust-filled eyes to rest. I’m learning from crows how to use the barbed wire in my life to build a nest during storms that strip me of hope. first published in The Field Guide Poetry Magazine, March 2021
barbed wire crow’s nest, Texas, 1930s
Lilija Valis: author of Freedom on the Fault Line, gift of farms and cities, war and beautiful gardens, hospitals and universities, mateship and city riots, accompanied by poetry, stories, music and dance. Currently working on whatever Life sends her.
So moving. Thank you both. May we all persevere.
When life offers lemons you make a barbed wire nest. Very good poem!