The Birds in My Heart by A.D. Labuschagne

The birds
In my heart
Are numerous
As the stars

Numerous are
My scars
I hide them well
But I don’t mind
Your eyes
Your gaze
Penetrating
Beyond the
Veil

Kismet, cosmic
All is well
In me
Life
Is not that bad
Eventually things get better

Unlike Bukowski
My birds are not blue
They vary in shape, size
And hue
And the only thing I want
To inhale
Is more of you

I do not pour
whiskey
On them

I let them sing

I let their cries
Echo
And ring
Throughout the
Caverns
Of this soul

I am not whole

I will never be

But you make
Me feel
Like I’m not that
Incomplete

And perhaps
Its fine if the world
Doesn’t see
The inward migration
And I prefer it that way

But you…

You can come
Watch the birds
Anytime
You want

Andre Darius Labuschagne is a poet, musician, and pastor from Johannesburg, South Africa. He is currently involved with various church movements – and his theological and philosophical beliefs are reflected in his poems. A recovering drug addict, his poetry also explores themes of mental illness, substance abuse, finding God, and the process of growing towards completeness.