Reanimated Lavender Granola Switchblade Nun rides again.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Ascension

When they built the highway,

They had to blow up the mountains.

Workmen wedged their sticks into the sleeping stone,

Then ran like they'd stole somethin.



I am just a gypsy black bird,

I came up here to get away

From ribbon-cutters, bone-breakers, sharp shysters and lovers who lie.

Sometimes I see another, prettier bird.

Sometimes I see a climber with the zen in her eyes,

But mostly,

I am alone.



If I were human,

I would take to the streets of some city

With tangles in my hair, no beauty secrets.

I would have dogs, about five of 'em.

I would kiss their filthy heads as if I were the Holy Mother,

Pass love from me to them like morning sun through a honey jar.



But I am just a gypsy black bird,

A speck in the sky;

My flight feathers spell out my name and that's all I need.



Always,

There is some man with a plan, or some witch with a little bitty raisin heart

Come dynamite the mountain

And my home of woven straw along with it.

It falls like a spirit out of Heaven, and I take off flapping like hell,

On to the next place,

While people look up and shout,

"Shoot it!"

"Catch it!"

Or sometimes,

Just sometimes,

"Fly like a bitch, baby, yeah!"

And I do.

________

32 comments:

  1. OH! MY! GOD! This is a SMOKIN' poem. It has such power, the words zing! I SEE the person. I gasp at "a climber with the zen in her eyes", the dogs, the "kiss like the Holy Mother", the "little bitty raisin heart", the "fly like a bitch, baby"........you go, girl. This is AMAZING stuff! Whew!

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  2. You wrapped up the invasion of humans into wild terrority in your unique and beautiful style, Shay. And this poem made me very very sad. I wonder how long the bird flies before it runs out of places to land.

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  3. What a gypsy black bird you are! Telling the truth as you see it! Fly bitch, fly, LOL! Love this poem.

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  4. Been reading Stephen King the past few days and for some reason this reminds me of him ... in a very good way

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  5. Shay, I really like the way you found your way into the heart and soul of the gypsy black bird. Perhaps not as 'attractive' as some others, but with a fiesty spirit. Wonderful poem.

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  6. A lovely, imaginative piece with heart and wings!

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  7. This one is so you, my friend. People either want to shoot you or catch you, but you manage to fly like a bitch and escape them! I admire you, Chica! xo

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  8. Lovely. We really do encroach so much on the natural world, don't we? One day we'll figure it all out. Let's hope we're not too late. We could learn a lot from the blackbirds of the world.

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  9. I almost don't know what to say about this. How could a human have written this poem, on this planet?

    The image of morning sun through a honey jar would've been enough.

    Thank you.

    xo

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  10. WOW! This is an incredible piece.

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  11. I have written so many things in this space, only to delete them all. None seemed to express what I see and feel.

    All I ave for you is,

    WOW !

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  12. Doggone it, that’s good.
    Great post. Super photo.

    All the best, Boonie

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  13. "My flight feathers spell out my name and that's all I need"

    I liked this a lot.

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  14. Wow..this is a moving piece. I see those mountains being moved by barge every day. Where will the gypsy bird fly? For the picture - dread not my locks..

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  15. Damn... what an image. I love this!

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  16. I love it, too. So insightful and poignant.

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  17. oh to be a gypsy blackbird...nice write shay! i would stay away from the concrete jungles for the mountains any day...

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  18. I love every word in this poem, there are so many great lines .... all of them...the "witch with the black rasin heart"...amazing image...I have worked for a few of these...fly free girl...always fly free..and never look back....Bravo!!!..bkm

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  19. Shay I think I could take to the streets with this poem and make people read it, and I would be proud to do so! This poem and the picture is AMAZING! :-)

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  20. "The climber with the zen in her eyes" sez... I you, Shay. This is so vivid, so alive, so AWAKE.

    Keep flying high- your words are your wings, my friend.

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  21. You are a true poet and deserve a big audience!!!



    I love your words and you...



    Aloha from Waikiki :)

    Comfort Spiral

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  22. From my heart, thank you so much for all of these marvelous comments!

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  23. Shay, this poem is perfect and I cannot tell you how much I find myself in it.

    a climber with the zen in her eyes – I love this…

    I would have dogs, about five of 'em.
    I would kiss their filthy heads as if I were the Holy Mother
    - I would, too.

    "Fly like a bitch, baby, yeah!" - Yeah, you certainly do. I feel as if I should start doing it.

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  24. love the stanza about the blackbird being human. awesome. if i took to the streets i would have dogs too, a big irsh wolf hound. i think they would be an awesome gypsy dog. as usual i love your poetry, you should totally do a chap book of all your gypsy poems, i read trough em' and they rock me like nothin else. write on!

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  25. and i really hope you are feeling better:)

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Spirit, what do you wish to tell us?