Laura Rodley, a Pushcart Prize winner, has been nominated for the prize seven times and has also received five Best of the Net nominations. Her recent works include Turn Left at Normal (published by Big Table Publishing Company), Counter Point (published by Prolific Press), and Ribbons and Moths: Poems for Children (published by Kelsay Books). 

With a talent for capturing the essence of life, Rodley’s writing resonates with readers of all ages. Whether exploring the natural world or delving into human emotions, her words evoke a sense of wonder and connection. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PClY8G6HQwk

Returning Home

Darning the sky seeking bugs
chimney swifts light on the laundry post
sling their tail, sling themselves
up again, always seeking.
Four years now they have
returned to their nest underneath
the porch eaves, a gray
hanging mass that is now
verdant green, with four tiny
beaks open, sampling the humid air.
Their parents like 94.3 rock and roll radio,
so quick their own beat,
never still for long,
they have their young to feed,
plucking dinner from heaven’s stairs.