Flying Island

Bye-bye Blackbird by Lylanne Musselman                To Wounded Bird and Cat, 1938 – Picasso The cat’s bloated belly fades into the blues— a blackbird, once vibrant and free, now limp, feathers plucked— unsung music from a beak agape, its last song fed black cat’s hunger for winged beauty, plump breast, wishbone. Bio: Lylanne Musselman is a native Hoosier with many family, friendship, and poetry ties that keep her returning often. An award-winning artist and poet, she has been published in many literary journals and anthologies. She’s authored three chapbooks, and co-authored Company of Women: New and Selected Poems (Chatter House Press, 2013) with Jayne Marek and Mary Sexson. Although, in 2011, she moved to Toledo, Ohio, she continues teaching online writing classes for Ivy Tech Community College, Indianapolis.  Wounded Bird and Cat