By: J.M. Morgan
In the garden
In the world
A maze of nature
Surrounded by seas
There stands a statue
Cloaked—adorned
In white mulberry silk
And starling feathers
Feathers, twigs, petals
Rest at its feet
“Ki-ki, ki-ki, ki-ki,”
Resound the Northern Flickers
They surround in worship
To the statue—onlookers stare
In admiration, in provocation
At the scene displayed
Ki-ki, ki-ki invades
The space between
Dream and reality
Past and present
A clad, feathered figure
Emerges from the shadows—
Deafening the muffles of
Opposers to this spectacle
Admirations amplify
Insults intensify
Within the garden
Within the world
The figure, Elder Flicker,
Valiant against dissenters
Listens to the drumming while
Twirling through the wind
“Soon they will see,”
Commands Elder Flicker,
“That this is the way,
Gone are the olden days.”
Lone Flicker steps forward
To protest, assert resistance
Of this new devotion—
This fantastical illusion
“Ethics, respect, honor,”
Lone Flicker asserts,
“The principles of our elders’ past
Are our ideal and our resolve.”
Others join Lone Flicker
In protest of this outburst
The devotion circle that
Has become the world
But their fervor is no match
Against the believers of
Elder Flicker—a proponent
Of the new world design
“Fall in line!” believers shriek
Chucking twigs with wings—
“No, you fall in line!”
The resistance retorts.
Elder Flicker directs them
To banish the resistance
From the circle
Amid the celebration
“Disrespect, dishonor?”
Elder Flicker coaxes,
“Reverence and obedience—
Opposers? Swift demise!”
“Fall in line,” followers beg.
The resistance declines
Choosing to rebel, venture
Beyond the worship circle
Elder Flicker flicks his wings—
The followers squawk
Choosing to surround the
Dissenters, their opposition
They bound them with sisal
Surround them with twigs
“Ki-ki, ki-ki, ki-ki,”
Praises the followers
Onlookers—now bystanders
Observe the lit flame
Set to the twigs
In the piercing sun
“ki-ki! Ki-Ki! KI-KI!”
Weeps the opposition
As their flesh becomes
One with the flames
The resistance ceases
Inside their garden
Amid the drumming
Inside their world
Elder Flicker observes
Flaps his wings
Speaking a soliloquy while
Gazing out beyond the smoke
Rhythmic sounds echo
Marking the new purpose
“I am your king—your world,”
Boasts Elder Flicker.
His followers kneel
Harmonies erupt
Worshipping ensues
Amidst the sun’s setting
Elder Flicker speaks in a
Foreign tongue—toasting to
The day’s events
This moment’s feats
“Pray,” Elder Flicker commands.
His followers witness
Him beckoning his wings
Raising his beak
His followers delight
Bystanders flee
Beyond the circle
Outside the world
Elder Flicker dons the
Mulberry silk—sunset exposes
His Starling feathers as he
Soars atop the statue
“I am vengeance,
Never resist my doctrine—
My way, my world,”
Elder Starling asserts.
He fluffs his feathers as
His pawns cower with
Buried beaks—concealed eyes,
Bound wings in the moonlight
The statue, unprotected—
Makes an audible thud
As Elder Starling nudges
At its pedestal, its roots
New has emerged
In his garden
Waning to silence
Becoming—His World
Bio
J.M. Morgan is a postdoctoral researcher at UAMS. She is a poet, storyteller, and dreamer who explores identity through her writing. She published her debut poetry collection, silent scream, in 2021. When she isn’t buried in her academic and creative writing, she enjoys crafting, watching The Golden Girls, playing video games, and learning to play the guitar.