Bird Lady

She was the crack in the priceless vase

the sum total of all that went before her
minus anyone yet to come and she was only
looking for a  place to lay her tired  head
with a  pitched roof that didn't leak and a
dog that didn't howl when the moon was full

 

The thickening of her waist came about
two years after the dust settled white

on the slant top desk with the hidden
compartment she hunches over

as if she's dedicated her life to writing
something important enough to share

 

No one told her that egrets croak like frogs
or that a loon calls for his mate long after
her death or that still water is swirling
with tiny organisms and baby whirlpools

directly below the translucent surface

so she arranges seeds on her palm
hoping that a bird swoops down and lands
on her outstretched hand without making a sound

 

When she is finished with the birds she will
straighten her back as best she can and head

back home thinking of what to say

and how to best describe nature as she sees it
on her frequent walks through the deep woods

where robins pull worms from the mud at the water's
edge and  foundling sparrow fall from their nests

 

 

 

 

 

Reviews

[Ken Simm.]

As with Marie I relate so much to this. A large part of my life has been birds. I have been a falconer and I have painted them for ever. I have been blessed with so many wonderful sights and pleasures that have been part of the natural world and these have coloured every aspect of all of my art.
For those reasons and more, I too do not see this as lonely. I also see it as solitude and not in a sad way but in a wonderous way.
This writing is itself wonderous in its composition and construction not just in its subject matter. I am honestly astounded.

[LJW]

Thank you so much. This piece is autobiographic. I an indeed the bird lady. Growing up in New England with avid bird watching artist parents, I too was surrounded with nature. Birds are my favorite. I could, and do, watch them for hours.

[Larry Dyson]

@ Ken and LJW...I so agree about the solitude being enjoyed and relished.. I love the recreation of the feelings and emotions are so intense as to make it as if I were there..bravo!

[LJW]

Thank you for your kind words.

[gombeggar]

the imagery is fantastic...well done

[LJW]

TY Mr. Gombeggar.

[Poussiere D'Ange]

Wow this is good! I love your vocabulary and the wayyou carried out such a beautiful mind-blowing and yet sad concept. Its like a story in a poem's format with a vivid imagery and beauty. Great job:-):-):-D.

[LJW]

Thank you so much. After readind a couple of the reviews before yours, I now am thinking my unformatted format needs to be formatted.
Truth is and always has been that I write without much concern for the rules. I actually do not know most of them. I arrange the words in a manner that suits my eye and my own sensibilities. So far, this has served me well. But I am becoming open to change and thank the writers who suggest in detail how I could rearrange a piece. Live and learn....

[Sirius King]

sad, descriptive write

you could picture the "Bird Lady" with every word you wrote

great write!

[LJW]

Hope she was at least somewhat attractive as the bird lady is me. :+)

TY for your comment.

[Sirius King]

lol She was gorgeous! ;-)

you are welcome!

[Anubis Sisters]

Lovely! I love the word use and the flow of this poem! Please continue on I would love to read more of your pieces.

[LJW]

Visit my profile page, grab a Red Bull, and start reading. There's a whole lot more.....

read moreVisit my profile page, grab a Red Bull, and start reading. There's a whole lot more.....

Thank you......

[Anubis Sisters]

Haha will do

[Deuces]

Very unique topic. Loved the imagery and the overall feeling of solitude expressed. Great piece!

[LJW]

Thank you.

[Through the Gateway]

This is a lovely piece which reminds me of myself sitting in nature and watching life swarm around me. It seems to me now that nature is the place to which we return when the insanity of modern life begins to weigh on us.

A quick, piece, but with south depth. I'm not crazy about the formatting, but I've certainly done worse in my own. ;)

Blessings.

[LJW]

I'm not crazy about the formatting either.

Thank you for visiting. Door's always open. I have a pit bull on the other side, but it's always open.

[Through the Gateway]

Oh, I'm good with animals. ;)

Please keep up the good work. This site needs poets like you. :)

Blessings.

[LJW]

Bring a bone. :-)

[Through the Gateway]

Will do. With meat on it. :)

[John Phoenix Hutchinson..]

I liked this poem but it was one of those pieces that left me thinking it could of been more, a good poem waiting to get out of the words on the page so to speak.

[LJW]

Could have been more? Yes. I usually struggle at the finish of every piece with myself.....could I/should I add more lines/adjectives/ objects/etc..

In the end, a tiny unpaid internal copy editor wins every time. :-)

[iliOZ]

we fight wars and battles, get groceries, take our kids to school, go to a party, spending money in shopping malls and do many other things we deem important and at the end of the day we slump behind our literal desk and try not to think of anything.

not so the bird lady
she makes us realize that there are other things to worry about and shows us the way to realize them and leaves us with the task to figure out what we can/have to individually do.

i moved to the countryside about a year ago and now i enjoy a completely different world than what i figured existing, while walking in the park.

the bird lady should be printed as a poster and placed at the entrance of the united nations building to remind people every day.

great writing!

my two cents

[LJW]

Really kind of you. Thank you very much indeed.

I live in a small New England town in an ancient brick house surrounded by huge pine trees, birches,maples,oaks,birds, a pond, a stream, and silence. It doesn't get any better than this.