The Restless Nest

Three stories
up there’s a
tree-top
backdrop,
where
summer’s
green is
holding
a nest.
When the
storms roll in,
it’s protected well
so life may find its pace.
There’s a spinning top there,
that’s made this nest its home, and it’s
moving in every direction. It spins and spins
and spins and spins as it rides the currents of the winds.
Wind surfing is a scary sport, but this nest,
a blessed arena. When summer ends and
the leaves drop orange, it’s true the
nest may fall. But either way
will be just the same,
because by then,
the seasons
will
have
changed.

And by then the top will have spun so much, it will have shed what needed to go.

Notes from the interview that inspired this poem:

“There is so much movement happening,” she began, “and somehow it’s among the stillness.” This woman shared that she felt like she was starting over in many ways. Recently she had moved to a new state, her two daughters had moved back in with her after graduating from college, and she had begun a new graduate degree program. All of this happened while she was working remotely and developing new ways to serve patients. “How can I be so still and so exhausted at the same time? I am taking in and processing so much more information now,” she said. “I feel like a spinning top, moving in every direction at the same time.” She went on to share that her new third-floor apartment overlooked beautiful trees, making the new place feel like a nest. “In the morning, on my balcony, I’m able to feel one with nature, with the birds. I feel like this is a safe nest for movement, for starting over, and for learning how to shape-shift,” she said.

Interviewee: Anonymous
Listener Poet: Jenny Hegland