Today in good news: after 130 years,
the South Philippine Dwarf Kingfisher
was spotted at last.
A fledgling, a stray, a bright, quick flitting
almost twin to the iridescent splendor
of a hummingbird.
I have never been to the Philippines, North
or South, but I like knowing there are still
things to discover.
Wouldn’t it be beautiful to be unnamed
again, unseen, a creature only described
in books?
A ghostly, mystic story that someone
dreams of making real, making skylights
of impenetrable roofs.
Too much is pantomime in this strange world,
and too little is honey: sweetness created,
sweetness left to savor.
Let me be your kingfisher.
Let me be what slakes the thirst that has
taken root in your chest and give you back
the world again.
All the books out there are more stern
and unwilling than this promise I make
to you:
Whatever else you need to give up
to get by, with me you’ll always
have a love that’s
ready to be discovered
again and again and
again.
Devon Bohm’s work has been featured in publications such as Labrys, Necessary Fiction, Hole in the Head Review, Eunoia Review, Spry, Horse Egg Literary, The Graveyard Zine, Sixfold, and Sunday Mornings at the River’s 365 Days of Covid anthology. Her first book, Careful Cartography, was released in 2021 by Cornerstone Press. Follow her on Instagram or TikTok @devonpoem or @devonbohm, or visit her website www.devonbohm.com to learn more.
