Fly By the Western Coast
By Nichole Perez
Gaze over the coast at the nēnē who soars
but doesn’t go very far. Just a bit higher,
a bit farther, or to the right.
He carries himself across the sandy lands,
only to settle down on the short shrub,
where his young lie and laze in the sun.
He could run across the hottest coals, or
summit down the largest mountains on
his wings that carry him just enough.
But, in doing so—
he leaves the sweet gosling whose only
crime was to be born at a young age; to be
dependent on shared blood and DNA.
He who may find it easy to return. He who
may not. He who says he clocked out,
but leaves it up to the night shift.
She, that sweet gosling, who is still waiting
for him to finish his night shift on the other
side, not realizing he’s been off for hours.
Auwe or hoka?
I’d quite like to be the gosling waiting by
the shore. The hope that a new will begin
simply because the old ended prematurely.
Penance for lost time. Apologies for
promises broken and walls torn down in
the blaze of who we once pretended to be.
Regret of offering sorrows. Regret of not,
or even the regret of walls being torn or
burned or smashed with his hammer.
Such a delicacy that hammer is. Bring
it and its friends with you. Invite the
family. The gosling doesn’t mind her time.
And when she does, do not mind it. She
is emotional, young, and dumb. Too
swayed, not like he would be.
Or maybe, we are wrong. The nēnē has
not heard her call or squawk in a while.
She could be behind glass or on display.
Maybe, just maybe—he should fly down
the Western Coast one more time. His
eyes aren’t what they used to be.
About the Author...
Nichole Perez is a young writer who specializes in poetry and historical fiction, mainly known for her speech at the Virginia Art Education Association conference. By reading the works from George Orwell and other
classical writers, she is working towards reviving the art of classical literature. In her free time, she mentors kids her age as president of the Churchland Highschool Creative Writing club.
About the Artist...
Marin Schultz is a junior at Savannah Arts Academy. Her favorite medium is pen and ink, but she also enjoys experimenting with media such as charcoal or pencils.