The Gray Bird

Alex Carrigan

After “Find the Gray Bird” by Saya Behnam (medium: different botanical and mineral pigments on paper with 24k gold leaf)

 

She should be easy to find in the vapor.

All the bursts of saffron and hibiscus

should make the gray of her plume

stand out in this space.

My eyes are continually distracted by

the flecks of gold leaf throughout.

Are these her eyes, or are they her talons?

I try to look deeper to see, but then

I notice what appears to be some wild plants

that have managed to cut through the fog.

I see the dark bend of their stalks,

the full shape of their leaves,

close enough for me to reach.

But then I notice I’ve fallen too deep

into the painting, the scent of all

the crushed spices and flowers making me dizzy.

It’s not until I cover my mouth and force myself

back out of the frame that I realize the gray bird

was in the middle of the painting the whole time,

with gold leaf making a crown upon her head

and a gold rose ensnared in her talon.

I should have found her quickly, but anyone

could miss her if they give themselves to

the roiling clouds that perfumed out of the frame.