Swallow
dancing on the branch propels 
herself into the air. 
The wind twists her into 
jagged angles and she becomes 
a constellation with her siblings. 

Does she feel the mystery of flight 
the way I think about thinking? 
Do all animals know 
they are gods? 

She sings as she spirals, 
redeeming this moment. 
Half earth, half sky: 
her preview  
of the soul’s journey.  

Michael Chavez Reilly grew up in downtown NYC and attended Stuyvesant High School. A lifelong learner, he completed his BA in Political Science at The University of Chicago, a master’s in Latin American studies at Stanford, and a doctorate at NYU, where he studied Educational Sociology. Michael spent almost a decade teaching at the secondary level in Boston and Westport, CT, and later worked for the American Museum of Natural History evaluating science education programs in NYC schools. 

With an ardent passion for nature, New York City culture, and community-building, Michael Chavez Reilly enjoyed writing poetry in his spare time. Diagnosed with ALS in August 2019, he touched many lives with his warmth, intelligence, and generous spirit. A beloved son, brother, uncle, and friend, Michael, passed away on November 27, 2023, at the age of 56.