He never believed
in his magic
being particularly
potent
until the rat trap
caught four fat ones
then a tiny
sparrow.
That’s why
you shouldn’t
set your spells
and forget about them
he was told
over and over
he saw feathers
on concrete
whenever he closed
his eyes—
wanting to keep them
out of mind
but more come
flying back
looking for the trap
hexed to fulfill
his hope of catching
something warm
to hold, so still
he sets spells
fully knowing
they return
in unexpected forms.
He doesn’t mind
all the feathers
all the red concrete
Bio
David Ly
David Ly is the author of Mythical Man (shortlisted for the 2021 ReLit Poetry Award) and Dream of Me as Water (2022, Fall), both published under the Anstruther Books imprint at Palimpsest Press. David’s poems have appeared in PRISM international, The Puritan, Arc Poetry Magazine, Best Canadian Poetry 2021, and elsewhere. He is currently at work on his first novel. [provided for the Mythical Man]