Larry Schug: "A Minor Death in Indigo"

A single indigo bunting,

blue as the Virgin’s gown,

flits up and down

between a bare branch of sumac

and sunflower seeds

spilled on the ground.

Like a trout fly, skillfully tied,

played in the current

by an expert fisherman,

it lures me out of my body,

into the sky.

I forget myself for just a moment,

forget even to breathe,

then gasp for breath;

a minor death in indigo,

then, rebirth.

"A Minor Death in Indigo" by Larry Schug. Presented here by poet submission. 

Art credit: Untitled photograph of an indigo bunting's feathers, from a series called "Indigo Boys," taken at Gilgo Beach, Long Island, NY, by Corey Finger and posted at 10000birds.com.