Need To Know

Does the finch know where
it will land before it lifts off? 

If it cocks its eye on a certain branch, 
why does it not fly straight and alight there? 

Instead, see how it angles off course, 
flitting slightly to right and left, soaring
onward almost past the confused evergreen, 
and cutting a sharp left at the last minute
to land on the waiting limb
that bows gently with the catch.  

What drives those wings?
Something in the air itself? 
Something in the belly and the beak, 
in the feel of feathers in the wind?
Or something in the passing world, 
that tilts feather tips for the turn
and leads those clawed feet
to find an anchor to the earth again?

Does the finch know where
it will land before it lifts off?

Precision in goal setting, and constant course correction, is critical in order to arrive where we choose. But our path in life is rarely so precise. We often start out with goal in mind and then find our desires change, or we lose our way, or life simply redirects us. It is easy to judge ourselves negatively when we "fail" to achieve a goal or land somewhere other than intended. What if the place where we land, even though it may not be where we wished to be, was actually waiting for our arrival and bows to receive us? 

Click below to see a video recital of the poem along with brief commentary.
Please share your thoughts and comments below.

© Nick LeForce
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