An Endless Wall

by Michael Shindler (April 2026)

l’Oiseau bleu (Marc Chagall, 1968)

 


An endless wall
with endless bricks askew
Faced a small bird before it, a bluebird.
And then brick by brick
It began to fall.

First there went one brick, and then it was two,
And then, without a word, there went the third.
And then all-too-quick,
There went the wall!

A pile of rubble. A moot succession.

So, the little bluebird happily flew
And its eyes beamed and its small body whirred
And then all-too-quick,
It began to fall.

Table of Contents

 

Michael Shindler is a writer living in Washington, DC. His work has appeared in publications including The American Conservative, The American Spectator, National Review Online, New English Review, University Bookman, and Providence. Follow him on Twitter @MichaelShindler.

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