Bird Skin Coat

Sky Falling on Cedars

53 SKY FALLING ON CEDARS All฀our฀winged฀thoughts฀turn฀to฀poultry. HENRY฀DAVID฀THOREAU,฀“WALKING” When฀I฀Google฀my฀dad฀on฀the฀Web his฀name฀pops฀up฀on฀poultry.com, where฀he฀warns฀fellow฀chicken-hobbyists to฀bring฀them฀indoors฀during฀storms. If฀it’s฀pouring฀in฀Seattle, my฀dad฀curls฀up฀with฀his฀chickens, Gertie฀and฀Maude.฀The฀fireplace฀roars. Gas฀licks฀the฀fake฀logs.฀Thor,฀the฀Norse฀God of฀Thunder,฀has฀fallen฀asleep฀in฀his฀book— he’s฀fictive฀now,฀and฀his฀kingdom’s a฀welfare฀democracy.฀Memo฀to฀self: nobody’s฀dad฀can฀move฀the฀earth฀and฀sky. The฀Cascades฀sprang฀from฀plate฀tectonics, oysters฀co-evolved฀with฀tides,฀and฀who฀can฀say why฀bark฀peels฀off฀the฀live฀madrona฀trees? When฀my฀dad฀visits฀me฀in฀Milwaukee, he฀tries฀to฀fix฀things,฀nailing฀down the฀warping฀windowsills.฀Once฀he฀installed a฀shower฀with฀its฀hot฀and฀cold฀handles reversed.฀The฀fiberglass฀stall’s฀so฀small it฀makes฀me฀concentrate.฀I฀wash฀my฀hair mindfully,฀standing฀stock-still฀and฀alone in฀my฀body,฀while฀all฀around฀me฀water falls฀like฀rain฀on฀the฀Pacific฀coast two฀thousand฀miles฀away.฀I฀rinse฀my฀brain into฀an฀avian฀state:฀poultry.com, with฀its฀maps฀of฀safe฀bird฀shelters. Still,฀I฀know฀when฀the฀big฀quake hits฀Seattle,฀Gertie฀and฀Maude฀will฀rise above฀their฀splintering฀coop, blazing฀red฀and฀gold,฀Blake-angels prophesying฀cluck.฀Translation:฀petals, meteors,฀shingles,฀shit,฀love—what฀falls฀falls half฀in฀grass,฀half฀in฀mud.฀Feathers฀&฀skin, we฀glimmer฀bright฀but฀dumb in฀the฀darting฀jittery฀random฀alien฀sun. 54 ...