- Jennifer Barnick
Four Poems by Jennifer Barnick

God did Crown a Sparrow
Now if the Queen of England (Dear Beloved Elizabeth II)
if she passed the lights and glint
into a death parade I think I would
weep as if motherhood had gone.
Now if the Queen of England (Dear Beloved Elizabeth II)
softly fell amongst her corgis and television
nothing really left but a coat made of body
I would have a hard time listening.
Now if the Queen of England (Dear Beloved Elizabeth II)
slumped in her bed over a book given to her
and a pure crying maid touched her cold knuckle
Presidents would seem emptier than they already are.
Now if the Queen of England (Dear Beloved Elizabeth II)
entered heaven finally crownless; at last crownless
a more profound modesty would shine down;
in stunned misery, I would have to look everywhere.
Lessons Learned While Walking In My Neighborhood
I tried to write a poem
about how bad-ass super spiritual
I was.
But I came to see
that the young, small she-hawk
chasing the crow today
was more lovely than
I’ll ever be.
Then it came to me to write the clouds,
the black wings of the running crow,
and the rudder tail
of that
young hawk.
And this bird logic
had a kind of bliss and a kind
of warning:
never write a poem
asking of man
more than what you indeed
can accomplish—
So, see, love, as if drunk
the heart-wrenching beauty
of a young she-hawk
chasing a crow.
On Trying to Remember Names
Gail Gail
Nightingale
middle name
Elizabeth.
Suzanne
like the other Suzanne
(her husband)
David
like son of Jesse.
Lee
Who has worn
many hats.
Valerie,
pretty like
Valerie Bertinelli
middle name: Anne.
John Joseph Moss.
I first said Ross,
but he corrected me.
He rose all ten of his fingers
then wiggled them
and said, Moss, you know
like green moss?
I used to remember how much money
a person is worth in precious metals
like gold and copper;
if you were to melt someone down.
I once watched a documentary
about medical students in Iraq;
one of the students said he
was at a market when a
bomb went off.
He said he looked up
and saw a large intestine
hanging from a telephone wire.
Gail Gail
Nightingale
middle name
Elizabeth.
Lee
who has worn
many hats.
Truth
Everybody loves Dave Brown
except for Rachel Lindenbaum.