Man with a Parrot

Too yellow for shadows at rest 

a city broadside, a summer dusk:

still on the promenade

bench, toward the sun as the others,

phalanx of faces aflame, strobing

as the exercisers flit before them,

he in sunglasses crosses arms, sits

motionless as the bird on his shoulder

flinches with every tick of action:

parched trumpet of the cycles braking,

soccer ball dull against the child’s foot, 

jangle of the leashes of the pure

breeds, vibrations of light. But dodging 

in the shaken air, untethered, clipped 

or not, it never claps a wing—

just the pinning in place,

the nodding on the shoulder

of a man like the others—perched

and glazing, home enough in the city’s

moving shadows to hold 

course, search for no reasons, 

their secrets their referents their own. 

Harper

Ryan Harper is an Assistant Professor of the Practice at Fairfield University-Bellarmine in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He is the author of My Beloved Had a Vineyard, winner of the 2017 Prize Americana in poetry (Poetry Press of Press Americana, 2018). Some of his recent poems and essays have appeared in Book XI, Portland Review, Third Wednesday, Thirteen Bridges, and elsewhere. Ryan is the creative arts editor of American Religion Journal.

Jennifer McBrien, a Baltimore artist, navigates the realm of embroidery with a skilled hand, intertwining freehand machine and hand stitching to create evocative portrayals of women, birds, and hybrid figures. Often featuring female bodies with bird heads, McBrien’s compositions transcend traditional representations and delve into complex themes of femininity, liberation, and connection with nature. By incorporating the Toile pattern into her textile works, McBrien explores the historical and cultural associations of the fabric art tradition, while simultaneously reflecting its reemergence onto the broader art world scene. Her pieces resonate with a renewed appreciation for the power and significance of textiles in contemporary artistic discourse.