Ode to a meadowlark

Ode to a meadowlark

A Poem by Rick Puetter
"

May he find his love again!

"


Photographer: Ian Britton, licensed under a Creative Commons license. This photo can be found at http://www.freefoto.com/images/806/09/806_09_7656---Summer-Meadow-Arkengarthdale_web.jpg

 
 
Ode to a meadowlark
 
 
Ah, rising sun, kiss morning’s dew
Chill breath of night away thou chase
A sprite from trees there yonder flew
But why flies he away in haste?
As I through meadows lonely pace
 
Crimson orb, paint sky with red
On fields, again, new day doth break
Yet from love’s loss my heart has bled
And Sorrow, joy of life does take
As o’er these fields my way I make
 
And I have suffered now so long
For I have lost my love of years
And so near given up life's song
And openly cried bitter tears
When life's great gladness disappeared
 
But burst of color now does dash!
And heart’ning call of bird I hear
Bright yellow through my tears doth flash
And call so trill without a peer
Defeating grief, my soul does cheer
 
Now wind makes low, I strain to see
Where didst the merry fellow go?
Not in the sky, nor in the tree
There sounds again!  Away and low
Another bird calls to its beau
 
Oh happy bird, I envy you!
You’ll find your love again, I know
You’ll have your love as day renews
To warm your heart when cold wind blows
And shield you from life's winter snows
 
Yet still I cannot help but smile
This cheerful bird to his love sings
As I have stood here for this while
Enraptured song contentment brings
Oh, there he goes--he’s taking wing!
 
 
 
 
The Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta). Unlike the Eastern Meadowlark, the Western Meadowlark has a beautiful song as it calls to its mate. You may hear this bird’s call at http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Western_Meadowlark/sounds.
 
Photograph from Wikipedia http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/Western_Meadowlark.jpg, taken by Kevin Cole and licensed under Creative Commons.
 
 

© 2020 Rick Puetter


Author's Note

Rick Puetter
To Mark: the ababb rhyme scheme is called "Cinquain"--see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinquain.

To Mollie: Yep. The Eastern Meadowlark was known for a long time while the Western was ignored. And the Eastern Meadowlark has a very uninteresting call compared to the Western Meadowlark.

Readers: If you're unfamiliar with the call of this bird, I encourage you to use the link below the picture to hear it.

To The Thracian: As always, a very detailed review. Thank you. And thank for pointing out the typo. That will be fixed, of course. And you're right, I do take a lot of poetic license in this poem--maybe that's why I like it so much! And yes, I do switch between tenses. But this is intentional. This is a play between the past and the present. Hopefully the past will recede with the power presented by the Meadowlark in the present. Regarding "wind" and "snows", yep, number changes. I have actually tried all combinations. I like this the best. And "life's winter snows" is quite intentional. My wording is not only intended to be literal as in your suggested "wintry snows". The snows need not be, and usually aren't, climatic at all, but emotional. So I'll leave this as it stands. Regarding punctuation, this is a continual battle. I'm in a sparse punctuation mood right now and I don't think meaning is misconstrued by lack of additional punctuation. But I do like this to be pointed out to me as you always correctly do. So thanks again for your most thorough review. Best regards and thanks!

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Featured Review

Rick, thank you. This poem lifted my heart as hearing the bird lifted yours! You give so much of yourself to your writing and to WC. I not only get to read your beautiful words, but learn other things, as well. You enrich us all with your gifts of words and knowledge. Thank you, my friend and congratulations!

Posted 7 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.




Reviews

Rick, thank you. This poem lifted my heart as hearing the bird lifted yours! You give so much of yourself to your writing and to WC. I not only get to read your beautiful words, but learn other things, as well. You enrich us all with your gifts of words and knowledge. Thank you, my friend and congratulations!

Posted 7 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

wonderful piece, and the format is so perfect...a taste of old time poetry here---felt like i was reading Wordsworth or Longfellow...

nicely done.

j.

Posted 8 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

This poem is truly a reader's joy. As I read through all the poems, this one stood out for so many reasons. You write with a classic tone, notably similar to some of my favorite traditional poets.
Well done and thank you for participating! :)

Posted 8 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Congratulations on your contest win with this. It is easy to see why this was picked. You show your care in every line of the classic cinquain format.
There are some things that break through our moments of sadness and make us stop to take a minute to admire nature. For me that was the sound of mourning doves at dawn outside my window, for you, the flash of a meadowlark and it's song. Birdsong can be such a delightful thing when we just take the moment to watch and listen.
Again, congratulations on your Wizardry award!
jan

Posted 8 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

This Is i believe my second poem of yours, and i like this one very much. I think that it kind of reminds me of a Robert frost poem with the rhyme scheme and mood set into it but i love the idea of this poem and its description. It is very detailed and it is able to put a picture in my head just by reading it, thank you for sharing.

Posted 9 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Stunning! This is so reminiscent of the writings of such poets as Keats and Wordsworth. I enjoyed this immensely, a reminder of past works and values of the poets of old. Well done!

Posted 9 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

This is very well written. :]

Posted 10 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Simply stunning! Every word ebbed with grace and beauty. Bravo!

Posted 10 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

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Mia
Congratulations on placing first! I love this poem. The amount of time and thought you seem to have put into this poem is intimidating and so is your vast knowledge of things but I will be true to myself and tell you why I enjoyed it so much! I thought through out that I want to have such an epic love that when it ends (only by death) my love would feel lost…trying to find that same love again. I have much respect for you. Also I download the western meadowlark call and I must admit it surprised me…I wasn’t expecting such a distinctive call! Again congratulations and I must say I really am glad you decided to enter!

Posted 10 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Excellent! I really love this. I have additional info also. I thought cinquain is written as simply as 5 lines because what I have researched is this is a poetry with five lines. Line 1 has one word (the title). Line 2 has two words that describe the title. Line 3 has three words that tell the action. Line 4 has four words that express the feeling, and line 5 has one word which recalls the title.
I'll check out that link you gave soon. Thanks.

Posted 10 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Rick Puetter

10 Years Ago

Dear blue teardrop,

You are correct. This was the initial form of cinquain. However, .. read more

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30498 Views
51 Reviews
Shelved in 6 Libraries
Added on April 5, 2009
Last Updated on June 4, 2020

Author

Rick Puetter
Rick Puetter

San Diego, CA



About
So what's the most important thing to say about myself? I guess the overarching aspect of my personality is that I am a scientist, an astrophysicist to be precise. Not that I am touting science.. more..

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