sparrow
blue jay
hawk.
All birds love the church.
the tower nest
the tower bell
the sky spread out overhead, inexhaustible altitude.
Stacked stones in geometric statement offer sanctuary.
pigeons
crows
cardinals and a heart to beat them into the world.
My love, lit match, black book, dark eyed juncoe,
taloned starling,
raptor asleep in the afternoon,
I have gathered every rain and made these glorious stormy wings.
Why can't I touch God?
Why the gauntlet between us, the tether, this madhouse distance?
Wrap your one wing around me as I will mine for you; we rise together semi-divine.
Types of birds:
male
female
juvenile
striker
stricken
cartwheel in the open air.
Have faith in Me, sayeth the Lord.
Just trust in us, baby. At midnight, music playing.
Types of song, shades of color, each requiring light, air, love.
We do the best we can. We pray. We kiss. We fall willingly into the sky and vanish.
________
for Real Toads.
Its a lovely read, really enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteI love lists! And I love your list of birds!
ReplyDeleteThis was absolutely fantastic!!
ReplyDeleteLoved the portrayal of different types of birds :D The list is beautiful!
Lots of love
Sanaa
You often write of birds, and use them as all kinds of shaded metaphors, always eloquently, but here this listing seems almost like a counting of days, states of being, scars, as much as cataloging the various owners of flight. Or perhaps it is the many transmutations of desire, love, passion, that are wearing the wings. Regardless, the whole poem sings of a constant heart and a full one,however clothed. Not even birds can fly to god, but perhaps in trying the hardest they come the closest.
ReplyDeletei liked it. beauty and pain and perpetual sort of searching.
ReplyDeleteThis is exquisite. The line breaks are flawless, like breath.
ReplyDeleteI just heaved the mightiest sigh I have ever sighed. The glorious stormy wings. "a heart to beat them into the world." and the falling willingly into the sky at the end. I LOVE "wrap that one wing around me as I will mine for you."
ReplyDeleteNo one writes a love poem like you do.
Never liked aves better!
ReplyDeleteA beutiful list indeed!
I have gathered every rain and made these glorious stormy wings.
ReplyDeleteWhat a perfect line in an incredibly beautiful love poem.
OH!
ReplyDelete(gasping for the breath I exhales at each line break)
Keep going and you will touch God
in you and your companion
Bless you, Shay.
Loved joining you on your journey with the birds. This is beautiful, m'dear.
ReplyDeleteLove this - I dream of the birds and envy their relationship with gravity. Love your poem too, ShadyLady la la mosk
ReplyDeleteThis is gorgeous. I can just imagine all of those hollow bones, mingling.
ReplyDeleteI'm in the process of a chapbook/book/whatever containing poems inspired by birds/concepts therein (can you tell it doesn't know what it is yet?) Anyway, one more reason I loved this...
"All birds love the church.
ReplyDeletethe tower nest
the tower bell
the sky spread out overhead, inexhaustible altitude."
these lines sort of grabbed me above the rest
thanks for dropping in to read mine
much love...
Just gorgeous! Didn't know birds love the church-thought it was just the church mice!
ReplyDeleteLove the way the lists of birds acts like glue between the stanzas.. bringing the thought forward in this exquisite love poem.
ReplyDeleteLove birds. Love what you've entwined in this list.
ReplyDeleteI'm a big fan.
Birds are always a favorite.
ReplyDeleteThis section just about got me bouncing in my seat:
ReplyDelete"Types of birds:
male
female
juvenile
striker
stricken
cartwheel in the open air."
That is so awesome and so true. I'm slightly flipping out over this, girl. But really, even male and female (aka, grown-up man and woman) are lies. Even adults are juveniles in disguise. Some disguises are just better than others.
I see this poem as being about the internal battle for what we set up as most important: God, ourselves, or our loves.
This has nothing to do with birds and everything to do with our determination to be righteous and honor God with our "flight." But the higher we fly, the harder we fall when we inevitably pull out our own feathers. Sometimes we have help from others, but mostly, we just do it to ourselves, and often, right after we leave the church steeple.
I love this line: "Stacked stones in geometric statement offer sanctuary."
"black book" This doubles as a Bible and a book a lovers.
"Have faith in Me, sayeth the Lord.
Just trust in us, baby. At midnight, music playing." These shouldn't have to be in contrast, but they so often are. When we love with complete abandon, we turn lovers into idols, replacing God. Love (or lust) becomes our god.
Sublime ending: "We do the best we can. We pray. We kiss. We fall willingly into the sky and vanish." What on earth else are we supposed to do?!
I think we envy the birds. They are so magnificent and graceful in flight. Trying to imitate them has cost many a person's downfall.
ReplyDeleteLovely way to use the prompt, I like to see how the creator used it and perhaps she/he will give an insight as to his/her expectations.
..
exquisite
ReplyDeleteyes, and vanish... ~
ReplyDeleteHAPPY BIRTHDAY, SP!!!
ReplyDelete♥
I love both the music and the message, and particularly the conclusion.
ReplyDeleteI love this poem, Shay. Just love it.
ReplyDeleteWe have falcons in a library over here, up at the tippy-top. :)
Your words have wings. xo
ReplyDelete