Reanimated Lavender Granola Switchblade Nun rides again.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

The Bone Bird



The bone bird

Born from an egg as tender and sweet as honey by moonlight,

Flies through an ash sky

Into an Autumn as smoky and crisp as the remembered dream of a last kiss.


The bone bird

Is known by her song of glass, and the Queen-of-the-Nights it holds;

Flowers like feathers

Beautiful only as an ache is beautiful, or a parting.


The bone bird

Has made her nest above my door;

She will not fly

When Winter comes like Lady Death.

Instead, we will be two crones

Sipping tea in the twilight,

And when she sighs and has no more songs,

I will let the fire die

And tell her of your smile.

_____________________________


(Thank you to the gorgeously talented Christene, who introduced me to the black tulips called Queen-of-the-Nights.)

12 comments:

  1. It's as lovely as

    When You are Old
    by W. B. Yeats

    When you are old and grey and full of sleep,
    And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
    And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
    Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;

    How many loved your moments of glad grace,
    And loved your beauty with love false or true,
    But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,
    And loved the sorrows of your changing face;

    And bending down beside the glowing bars,
    Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled
    And paced upon the mountains overhead
    And hid his face amid a crowd of stars

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  2. Oh, I'm weeping, your Bone Bird poem is sorrow dipped in a sublime,
    joy carefully hidden in plain sight, the most special part is
    two, sipping tea in the twilight.

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  3. Nichole, I love Yeats, and that's the perfect companion piece. Leave it to my brilliant sister to come up with that.

    ((((((((Nikki)))))))))

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  4. Thanks, Arts & P., I always appreciate you reading and commenting!

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  5. You're so special, Cynthia...and your comments are extremely special to me. Thank you. :-)

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  6. Mmmmm - i am loving this, and agree:
    ... two crones
    Sipping tea in the twilight

    Is exquisite

    Kx

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  7. *serves up some China Black for K*

    (((((((K)))))))))

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  8. This is such a perfect poem for this season. And for November, too. Are you sending your work in for publishing?

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  9. I love this time of year, Susanna, and it seems to inspire me. :-)

    I wish I knew more about submitting work. Someone was kind enough to send me a helpful link, however, and I am going to check it out! ;-)

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  10. This is beautiful ~

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  11. Thank you, Tracey-Ann. There's another one you might like, called "Crow In Love" that's listed in my favorites.

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Spirit, what do you wish to tell us?