Tuesday, November 21, 2017

the bird underneath my winter coat




she is light as feather 
on the train, we're matching sweaters
but in my office, we're opposites 
as i pour over my sheets
she is leaning out of glass window
steeled by balconies, her flamingo
skin quivering among boxed flowers & fake grapes- 
her eyes far away, smitten with the lake-

there are city pigeons & gulls 
feeding near the trash bins, but her pulse
is untutored rhyme so she stays away
from gossips around the water cooler-
her sighs are blighted poetry 
scribbled hurriedly on paper napkins 

she leads a secret life,  
craving for sweet berries & a slice 
of honeycomb or mushrooms-
her screams are echoes 
of raindrops until 
every evening, i return home 

where i preen her wings
and we dance and swing  
to wild song of the wind
to hoots of night creatures
until finally
my chord hits a nightingale's note
she's a songstress in velveteen- 



Posted for dVerse poets Pub- Hosted by Kim Russell.  Inspired by the poem, The Heavy Bear who Walks with Me.  The challenge is to write a poem, of any length or form, about an animal in a human way or a human in an animal way, highlighting some trait of the animal/human that either sets us apart or brings us together – it’s up to you, just as long as the poem is new.

21 comments:

  1. I liked the evening's dancing to the wild song of the wind.

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  2. What a wonderful bird to have besides you... it's like a secret friend that are there to comfort...

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  3. I love the caring of this secret friend.

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  4. Watching over and reaching that point, sure a comfort at any joint.

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  5. 'her screams are echoes
    of raindrops ...' - she sounds divine!

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  6. I love the bird as the free spirit who never leaves you - a beautiful write Grace xxx

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  7. A beautiful write indeed. Pure poetry of a secret friend, written with love.
    Anna :o]

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  8. You leave some room for several scenarios & I like that; from imaginary bird to a stuffed one, a real one who waits, but her spirit is so strong, she seems to be with you all day. I see a parrot.

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  9. I read it that she is your alter-ego. The you who has to deal with spreadsheets and the you who longs to fly. I've been there. This is just seeping beauty, Grace.

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  10. "her pulse / is untutored rhyme...
    her sighs are blighted poetry / scribbled hurriedly on paper napkins" As I read this, I thought 'I know this person. Many of these people!' You wrote it that well.

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  11. Birds are the sweetest creatures, aren’t they? I loved these lines:
    "her sighs are blighted poetry
    scribbled hurriedly on paper napkins"

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  12. A lovely secret friend, Grace. I share her passion for berries and slices of honeycomb. Wonderful!

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  13. I absolutely love this. I love how you swing between human and bird experiences, and the way they echo each other. It's very skillful.

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  14. Your spirit (animal) is beautiful. The climax was stirring: "my chord hits a nightingale's note" Sing it, sister.

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  15. Beautiful imagery and feel to this poem.

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  16. I love the parallelism of you and the free bird. Wonderfully done!

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  17. I like the personality you have given your little bird that you carry along with you, perhaps, is you even when you have to be in the disguise required by work - feeling safe at home to let her out and play.

    Glad she grabs those little notes for you along the way, so you can turn it into poetry.

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  18. "but her pulse
    is untutored rhyme so she stays away
    from gossips around the water cooler-"

    she has better things to do with her time, luv her sense of time management

    much love...

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  19. your songstress in velveteen is truly beautiful

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  20. Now that's a title I wish I'd thought of, Grace! I'm with your bird - I was always leaning out of glass windows when I worked in an office. I love the lines:
    '...her pulse
    is untutored rhyme so she stays away
    from gossips around the water cooler-
    her sighs are blighted poetry
    scribbled hurriedly on paper napkins'.
    I love the second stanza with the 'wild song of the wind'
    and the 'hoots of night creatures', but oh, what an ending!

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  21. What a unique and inspired mingling of beautiful words and scenes ... the effect is magical.

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