Shawn L. Bird

I bought

an adorable black hat

at Goorin Bros.

Tilted the burgundy brim

to the perfect angle

Grabbed my new

wooly black ruana,

draped it around my shoulders

with a flourish, loving the fall

of the ruffled edges,

the weight, the warmth.

I felt my creativity

shouting through the garb,

felt Bohemian, wild, and artistic.

Then I grinned in the mirror

and saw the echo of my

great-grandmother’s

Salvation Army cape and bonnet.

We never get too far away

from home.