Soubrette

For the mockingbird who sang down our chimney

I flex white striped wings near where the children play,
Where the woman fights white sheets in the breeze of a sunny day.

     It makes me crazy to feel
          like a volcano full of songs to spill.
     I dance, quite insane from seeking love,
          from hiding,
     denying I’m here
          among the dandelions
          and blackbirds
     who never learn a clever tune,
          Only the ‘caw’, an easy trill to imitate.
               A simple squawk to sing.

I, the springtime pet, the mockingbird, their "Soubrette",
Prefer to sing ten full measures of pure melody
Down the chimney of this human family
     who offers me breadcrumbs
          each day, for my perfect, silver recitals
               that echo through their rooms.

Reviews

[Barry S. Maltese]

Nice work. I often wonder what goes on in the head of some animals. My dog sits there and looks at me and I ask myself if they could talk, what would they say?! This is a nice piece about what goes on in the mind of that little bird as they go on in life, singing their little heart out. Nicely done.

[Blackbirdsong]

I absolutely love this and I love that it's written from the bird's point of view. There is a wonderful eloquent simplicity to this that is quite lovely. So many are heavy-handed, but that can't be said of you at all. Glorious. Makes me want to sing myself, though as a blackbird it would only be a caw. :)

[Lydia Shutter]

A softly woven tale of the mockingbird's song. I enjoyed the way you wrote this from the perspective of the bird. Your imagery is absolutely breathtaking:
"Where the woman fights white sheets in the breeze of a sunny day."
Mimi, as always, your poetry is a joy to read. Lydia

[Gandré]

This is very pretty, innocent and plays its melody mids the untamed forests of my mind.

skillfully written.

please excuse the late review. it was hiere in my library. love, lara

[Staci Brown]

[color=indigo]
An interesting way to use "Soubrette" but it works quite nice in a beautiful tribute. Definitely a few possible meanings to this poem... Whatever your message was, you've crafted a charming tale in poetic verse!

Faerie Blessings!
[/color]

[Eric]

I can feel the breeze in this. And I can feel a bit of spring fever. Both subtle realities difficult to capture in a poem. However, you captured both quite well.

Another beautiful thing I appreciate about this piece is it looks and feels like a poem within a poem. I find the middle part feels sublime to read aloud. It like two poems making love. Conjoined.

Most excellent!

[David P. Eckert]

Lovely poem. I like the mix of rhyming lines with ones that simply have a steady rhythm. I also absolutely love mockingbirds - except when they are breeding. I had one dive bomb me and my dog once, but I digress. This is a nice tribute to a bird that beautifies the sound of every day.

David

[J D Roland]

excellent piece Mimi. It sings likea morning songbird. well done

[T. L. O'Neal]

I loved this, it was as beautiful to read as listening to a bird's song. A wonderful write. T

[the ghost of pauls]

Birdsong! The archetype of all music captured beautifully here especially in the first two lines which are perfectly composed. The poem trills and whistles with a joyful spirit. Read out loud it is birdsong!

[Antony]

Wow! this is high end poetry Mimi, this could have so many interpretations, I won't even take a stab at it, my mind is too deep and I might be wrong. This is a fantastic write.
Tony