We often reflect on the act of living, but there’s stigma surrounding the examination of one’s impending death, or the complexities of loss altogether. It’s true what they say about bird watching sneaking up on you as you age. I think about Wallace Stevens’ “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird”—how his birds act as emotionally-charged vehicles of nuance, much in the same way they flit about and swoop in my work. 

Daniel Lurie is a Jewish, rural writer from eastern Montana. He holds a Poetry MFA from the University of Idaho. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Gulf Coast, Pleiades, North American Review, Sonora Review, and others. He was recently awarded a 2025-2026 Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing Fellowship.

W: danielluriepoetry.com
I: @daniel.lurie