The robin bop,
bop, bops along
the stone path,
her beak digging
into the cracks
she passes,
looking for supper—

looking to fill
hungry bellies,
the little ones
in their nest
crying, crying:
“Mother, please;
we’re dying!”

The robin bops
along, hurried,
harried,
at wit’s end—
I reckon she regrets
ever lying with a man.

I kid, of course.
I know as well as she:
there’s nothing like
the love of a child—
it’s simply
humbling.

Cassandra Henken is a mother of three living in Minnesota. She has her Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology and Early Childhood Development, and worked for almost five years as a Behavior Therapist for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Now she is going back to school for a Bachelor’s of Arts in English and Fiction Writing. She has always loved the written word and has been writing since early adolescence. Her poem, “The Robin,” is her first publication in an online literary journal.