Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Bird Lands (Poem)

Bird Lands

Sleep shakes out into Morgenland
   — land of morning —

stubby doves break the fast of silence
with kwurr-kwurrs and woo-coos,

sift the grass for themes to nourish
lilting songs to fill the cracks of dawn

and beat off blue-jacketed jays'
rockfest of distractions.


Magnolias blossom in Abenland
   — land of afternoon —

its mood rising to the velvety blue-black
of ravens' shimmery long-lined backs.

Storms are coming, the sparrows
suddenly massing, tufted heads tucked in

close to wait out the cloud-clash,
the plaint of rain on fevered blades gone brown.


Soon the all-clear, borne on a live-wire streak
of dew-nipped wings, the sharp bead of eyes

thrilling to feed in the Land der Nacht
   — land of night —

the hoot of echoes in a clearing
just below the upraised roof of the sky

become a decrescendo of swooping owls
taking up their night's watch

of stars splitting the dark like gone-mad cells
making work of new life.

© 2010 Maureen E. Doallas. All Rights Reserved.
______________________

I wrote this poem for Cunning Poets Society, which earlier issued as its May theme the topic "birds". No stipulation was made as to how "birds" might be used. You will find other members' poems or links to their bird-themed work here.

12 comments:

Lou Belcher said...

Lovely... Thanks for sharing.

Louise Gallagher said...

"of stars splitting night"

beautiful!

Billy Coffey said...

Lovely, Maureen!

Kathleen Overby said...

smilin'. you do turn a phrase well. :)

Glynn said...

I took German in college -- and remember enough to know the phrases. I love the juxtaposition of German and English -- it's like using poetry to cross cultures with the same thought.

Jenne' R. Andrews said...

This is so exquisitely tender, with those beautiful German words. It makes me think of Stille nacht, heilege nacht-- I just typed in a segment of an aria by a German composer as an epigraph for one of my memoir chapters, while listening to Joan Sutherland sing it, and it's so gorgeous. Maybe I'll send you that ch, if you'd be interested.

Anyway, this is a stellar poem; you show a kind of control of language and emotion that is just spectacular. Brava!

Anonymous said...

birdies in

the mornin'

birdies in

the noon time

birdies

when the sun goes down

A. Jay Adler said...

and beat off blue-jacketed jays'
rockfest of distractions.

S. Etole said...

A decrescendo of swooping owls ... ignites my imagination

Matt D said...

Such beautiful images. I could see it all. Lovely.

Bob Spencer said...

Absolutely beautiful.

marci said...

....splitting the dark like gone-mad cells...love it. Ignites me--wonderful!!