A Shelter

Neridah McMullin

I put off going to bed,

The cloud cover,

Keeps the heat in…

And the stillness

Is oppressive.

Robins, wrens, honey eaters,

Panted the day away,

In shaded canopy,

Their beaks open.

Too hot to complain.

I open up the house,

All the doors; windows.

Something might wander in…

But hopefully,

It will wander out.

Thrown wide,

It’s no longer a house.

It’s a shelter,

A secret place.

A bed in the forest.

Under the sheets,

I listen to the night’s music.

Muted waves break,

Crickets click, ruffled feathers soften.

And at last, the birds are asleep.