STASIS

Aaron Magloire

I was not deceived. When the sparrow flew in

from the rain and headed up toward the rafters

looking for warmth, I knew it would not come

back down. Had I been kinder, or more awake,

I might have lugged the old blue stepladder out

from its place under the tarp in the cedarwood

shed behind the house, braved the epiderma

of dust, unfurled the ladder and walked up it—no

warmth—to find the bird’s small body. I did not

even pray. There is a difference between rest-

itution and gluttony, and what’s more the rain

would not let up, and sounded so beautiful

from where I was: drumbeat battalions

steady against the rooftop, night-slick

droves of talons seeking out a way in.

Aaron Magloire is from Queens, and majors in African American Studies and English at Yale University. His work has appeared in the 2021 Best New Poets anthology, Whale Road Review, and elsewhere.