Outward Signs

out of sight
a chickadee calls
tirelessly
I answer as I can
with lost words and
found images.

high on the hill
my father calls
for me and I
travel the best way
I can with gratitude
and memory.

from shadow
my mother calls
and I don't recognize her
she never waits for
an answer and
I am always late.

all these calls
can't be met with silence
although sometimes I try
failing more times than
I succeed while the
chickadee calls tirelessly.