Free Blue Birds by Caroline Starr Rose Page A

women.
    Mrs. Archard and I believe he’s against us.”
    â€œWhat do you mean?”
    Mother stops her kneading,
    tucks a honeyed strand of hair beneath her kerchief,
    pulls a chair from the table.
    â€œYou are too young to make sense of this.”
    â€œMother,” I say,
    â€œyou cannot keep the truth from me.”
    Few things go unnoticed here,
    a reminder I must take care
    with the secrets I keep.
    Mother strokes Samuel’s wispy hair.
    â€œYour father says Manteo
    was the last to return
    the night Mr. Dare was slain.
    Manteo said he was searching for the boys,
    but they’d already found their way home.”
    She pinches her lips together,
    her face as stern as Mrs. Archard’s.
    â€œIt makes me wary.
    Just how loyal can a savage be?”
    But I know I trust him.
    Manteo lets me go to Kimi,
    has kept this to himself.
    â€œFor whatever reason,
    he has cast his lot with us.”
    Mother shakes her head.
    Her silence speaks more disapproval
    than words ever would.

Alis
    Toward evening the sun relents.
    I carry Virginia to her home,
    tap the door with my shoe.
    Mrs. Dare opens,
    her face blank and empty.
    Dark stains still reach beyond her elbows,
    stiffening the fabric of her threadbare sleeves.
    So distant she seems.
    If I give Mrs. Dare the baby,
    will she remember to care for her?
    â€œPerhaps I should keep her longer,
    let you get your rest?”
    She shakes her head,
    reaches for Virginia.
    Reluctantly,
    I give the baby to her mother.
    For a moment,
    I linger in the doorway,
    watch the sun
    fade from the sky.
    Someone grasps my hand,
    turns me around.
    â€œYou’ve been outside the palisade,” George says.
    â€œAfter I’ve warned you.”
    My mind races.
    Has he seen more?
    Why did I ever
    speak to him of Kimi?
    â€œPerhaps your father should know.”
    â€œNo,” I say,
    â€œthere is no need.”
    He studies me closely.
    I read a wisp of worry on his face.
    â€œBe careful, Alis.”

Alis
    I become skilled at deceiving my parents:
    snatching moments
    once Father departs to work metal in his shed,
    once Mother has left with laundry
    for the unmarried men.
    As for the babies,
    young Miss Lawrence
    agrees to do her mending
    in Mother’s rocking chair;
    Mr. Florrie is happy to rest
    on the bench outside our doorway,
    prop his hairy arm upon our windowsill,
    his hairier chin cupped in his hand.
    I pretend I must fetch water,
    remove laundry from the line.
    Instead I leave the village,
    quickly steal away.

Alis
    She teaches me
    which roots to eat,
    how to weave a basket bowl,
    where to find the sweetest berries,
    that crabs keep a tidy home.
    What marvelous things
    Kimi has helped me see.

KIMI
    Knowing her
    enriches every ordinary moment,
    makes each sorrow easier to bear.
    Yet how long
    can friendship
    truly remain hidden?
    Must we
    someday
    bring this
    to an end?

Alis
    Someone knocks
    as I wipe the table.
    Mrs. Dare is at our threshold.
    She wears something clean at last.
    â€œI support you,” she says to Father.
    â€œI’ll do what is necessary.”
    She clasps his hand,
    pulls the door behind her.
    I glance at Mother,
    try to read in her expression
    what this means.
    But she will not meet my eye.

Alis
    It has been one week
    since Governor White’s leaving.
    Most have assembled,
    but there are some
    who have chosen to be absent
    for the meeting the assistants have called.
    George and his band of boys
    roam the square unattended.
    Father calls the group to order,
    and though voices fall,
    the shouts of George’s boys
    continue unchecked.
    â€œWhile we anticipate the Governor’s return,
    our future is uncertain,” Father says.
    â€œOur circumstance has worsened:
    each day less food,
    division amongst us,
    unrest outside our borders.”
    His voice drops.
    â€œThe death of Ananias Dare.”
    Mrs. Dare’s face is ashen.
    Father moves to stand beside her.
    â€œGovernor White confessed
    we live near