I bend to pick up the morning paper,
as sparrows hidden in dark trees sing
to the gray morning sky. I prepare
myself for the daily dose of grim
print that reveals itself as I unfold
a newspaper that has grown thin
over the years, but not thin enough
to keep out the horrors born of hate
that turns one against another, sours
our humanity before it has a chance
to bear fruit. What knowledge comes
with morning bird song? Knowing
birds will sing with the sunrise,
that the song continues to defy news
wrapped in print every morning.
~ Diane Wahto
Diane Wahto received an MFA in creative writing from Wichita State University in 1985 and has been writing poetry ever since. Her latest publication, “Empty Corners,” is in the spring 2017 issue of Same. She was co-editor of 365 Days, an anthology of the 365 Facebook page poets. She lives in Wichita, Kansas, with her husband Patrick Roche and their dog Annie.
Guest Editor Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg, Ph.D., the 2009-13 Kansas Poet Laureate is the author of two dozen books, including, most recently, Miriam’s Well, a novel; Everyday Magic: A Field Guide to the Mundane and Miraculous, and Following the Curve, a collection of embodied poetry. . Founder of Transformative Language Arts at Goddard College where she teaches, Mirriam-Goldberg also leads writing workshops widely, particularly for people living with serious illness and their caregivers. With singer Kelley Hunt, she co-leads writing and singing retreats.
The Coop: A Poetry Cooperative 
I like how you actually share an optimistic message inadvertently by sharing that the newspaper “gets thinner” each day. And the brave bird still — no matter what– sings.