Sympathetic Magpies
There is an old Chinese legend
About a weaving girl and a cowherd
Falling in love and being punished
By Heaven because she was celestial
And he was a mere mortal
Heaven only allowed them to meet
Once a year
On the seventh day
Of the seventh month
The magpies were so sympathetic
Each year
On that day
They made themselves
Into a bridge
Stretching across the Milky Way
So the lovers could kiss
Poems are sympathetic magpies
Bridges between lovers
Bridges between selves
Bridges between worlds
Notes:
This poem was previously published in To the Stars: Kansas Poets of the Ad Astra Poetry Project, edited by Denise Low (Mammoth Publications, 2009), and is reprinted here by permission of William J. Harris. It is part of the portfolio “I Hope You Like Being Here with Me: The Work of William J. Harris,” curated by Howard Rambsy II.
Source: Poetry (February 2023)