I hear them before
I see them.
Balls of energy
twitter,
flitter,
and suddenly
the tree is full
of a tumble
of long tailed tits.
Tag: birds
January awakening
Today’s dawn chorus starts with a tawny owl.
Soft hooting drifts through the
7am darkness.
The shrillness of my alarm clock
is so ugly by comparison.
Goldcrest
Glimpse of movement
overhead, a tiny bird almost
lost among branches
drops downwards,
capped fire-streak searching
restlessly for insects
expertly probing the bark then
stopping briefly to show
the world its beauty.
New for 2019, I’ve decided to start sharing my art here along with my poems. I paint wildlife (mainly birds) on silk. I’ve set myself the challenge to write a poem to go with each of my paintings, starting with this goldcrest that I painted last year. I thought I’d try an acrostic poem, I’ve not written one of those since I was at school 30 years ago! Hope you enjoy it & wishing you all the best for 2019.
Murmuration
Thousands upon thousands of starlings
dance against a pink sunset.
A parallel flock of humans
stand and marvel.
River of wings
It starts with a drip, a drop, a splash
as a handful of starlings zoom past my window,
causing me to glance up from the computer screen.
I get back to work, but then
the trickle becomes a stream
and holds me, mesmerized.
Pulses, waves of flickering, fluttering birds,
hundreds, then thousands.
I cannot help but marvel,
following them with my eyes as they streak past,
just one tributary of a giant river of wings,
following them with my mind
to the nearby reedbeds
where they will join, and dance.
Thousands upon thousands coordinated
in breathtaking choreography
until on some secret signal
they descend to the reeds to roost.
Outside my window the river slows to a trickle
For a while, small flocks of stragglers whizz by
just drips and drops as darkness falls.
Sleep tight, little birds.
I am breathing in the cold night air
as goose calls drift up from the estuary.
We share the same moonlight.
The autumn equinox approaches
Sometimes, I wish
I could just fly south
with the birds.
