My husband carries

half a blue eggshell

the size of a small acorn

cradled in his hand.

In our yard the fledgling

pesters its parent &

flits around, practicing,

until one day he is ready.

Now my husband and I

answer phone calls

from another time zone &

where we used to be three

we’re two at the kitchen table

observing the sage

our son once planted

flourishing in the garden.

Kristine Rae Anderson is a Pushcart-nominated poet and author of the chapbook Field of Everlasting. Her poems have recently appeared in SALT, Literary Mama, Science Write Now, and elsewhere. She lives with her family and three-legged rescue dog in southern California, where she volunteers as a literacy tutor. www.kristineraeanderson.com