for e-bird




First And Last Is The Letting Go

 

Every solution to every problem is simple.

It's the distance between the two where the mystery lies.”
     Derek Landy, "Skulduggery Pleasant"

 

 

  

Having slipped and fallen, my morning

Walks were to my second-story window

Perch where for three days I watched

The two late-spring sparrow fledglings

Learning by failing and falling slowly

To the needles under their pine perch

Where their mother had nudged them

Again and again to the edge of the nest

Until the need became their own to trust

Their wings to what they could not see.

I had thought they had simply been born

Knowing that the air in their hollow bones

Was equal to the breeze through the pines,

That their first leap of faith would be to glide

And veer, level and lift and soar, to simply

Be the air made visible.  It seems simplicity

Is a thing accomplished only with difficulty.





Poetry by countryfog
Read 1118 times
Written on 2015-09-23 at 15:37

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Bob
This was Very good! I love birds, in particular the small ones. The air made visible. Yes!!!!
2015-09-24



It never ceases to amaze me how birds' flight seems so effortless and natural. They seem to know exactly which tree branches will support their weight, how to come down for a landing worthy of the finest man-made jet plane, and can perform aerobatics that take one's breath away--soaring straight up towards the sun and then gliding downward with unmatched grace.

I wish I'd been more willing to let go and trust myself enough to take more chances in life. It's awfully comfortable to just stay in the nest where it's safe instead of setting out to discover and enjoy what life has to offer, even though it involves ''failing and falling'' and other scary things.
2015-09-24


Lawrence Beck The PoetBay support member heart!
I believe that you're right.
2015-09-23



Woo-hoo! A poem for e-bird! :>)
I am reading this with our FT, following a fraught day at the offices of BirdBrains. We like the opening quote, but at the first line we are concerned. Have you fallen over? That is not pleasant. We hope you have made a full recovery and we are glad to read that you have access to a perch from which to watch, aptly, these dear sparrow fledglings.
The description of the fledglings is delightful, particularly for the nudging mother bird, and it leads to some very interesting musings. Bird flight might well seem natural to the human eye. Perhaps, suggests FT, birds watch humans and wonder why humans are unable to accomplish certain things without encouragement. We like '[b]e the air made visible' too. Altogether, it is an excellent piece of writing. Applause! (-:>)
2015-09-23