A house sparrow touched down
on the corner of the roof.
Ordinary brown, leaflet of no
great importance, bringing no news
to the heartland or the outside world.
Inside my car, engine idling,
I listened to an interview
with the young imam
from the mosque in Iowa.
What is this confusing
intensity to our days,
he said. I want only
for my two daughters
an ordinary life,
a happy life, one
in which they shouldn’t
have to defend themselves
or what they might believe.
In response to Via Negativa: Among royals.