“I arrive
in a flurry of petals,”
her voice sailed,
sweetly scented,
“White, pink, yellow…
given to you
on April’s
tossing breeze.”
— C.Birde, 4/22
Cherry Tree — An Image
Month: April 2022
Sunshine — A Poem
Sunshine –
heatless word fed to
the Changeling to convey
complexity of feeling,
to sidestep
fine hairline breaks,
over Time’s span,
accumulating…
In a moment’s blaze,
the maze of eggshells
so long
& carefully cultivated,
crushed to powder
underfoot…
Each from the other
propelled in orbits
unanticipated beyond
a moniker’s bright veil
toward ashes
of that hopeful word’s
well-intentioned light
now drained of warmth,
darkly eclipsed,
extinguished,
lost.
— C.Birde, 4/22
Parley — A Dream
When deep underground
in vast subterranean caverns
that drip with moisture &
winged shadow & echoes
of past, present, &
oh-so-uncertain futures –
do not attempt to parley
with Wyverns;
Nostrils seeping brimstone,
they will sit quietly grinning
across the conference table’s
great gleaming length of wood
& agree to every- & anything
that creates a sense of ease…
All to their own strategic
advantage.
An exercise,
for you,
in utter
futility.
— CBirde, 4/22
Earth — An Image
I hear your whisper,
answer your call,
sing chorus
to your melody.
There is no
separateness.
You & I
are We.
— C.Birde, 4/22
Recognition — A Dream
“Describe the Mother…”
“Describe the Queen…”
Their voices overlapped,
currents on a cerebral shore,
deep blue & green in refrain.
Without hesitation, he answered:
“She stepped from the dark
hollow of a great white Tree
fully formed & radiant,
an image shimmering with
intensity – a sight to see.”
He paused to catch his breath,
then continued, surprised:
“I knew her instantly.”
— C.Birde, 4/22
Sage — An Image
“We are tied,
you & I,
“inextricably intertwined,”
her words pulsed
with Time’s unfolding,
“Your actions writ
upon my canvas.
Be wise.
Be kind.”
— C.Birde, 4/22
Restless — A Poem
Head full of noise
& unrelenting image
Kaleidoscopic colors
shift, alter
Scarlet, eggplant, umber
interrupted
Bright flashes of noise,
(pop of old house bones)…
Wind caught in trees
trapped, released
to whoosh free ‘round
blunt corners
Coyotes’ not-so-distant,
mournful song
Something else,
something other
(unidentifiable)
calls…
Sleep arrives at last…
then dreamsdreamsdreams
in concussive,
hectic
tumble.
— C.Birde, 4/22
Still Life — A Dream
Unrestricted, vernal light
pours through bay windows’
oblique angles…
Alights in canary-yellow
flowers caught,
arranged
mid-flight at the breakfast
table’s center …
Light laps wide floorboards
of polished, honeyed oak;
wainscoted walls of ocher…
And, at last,
splashes up upon a board
in the corner of that low-
paneled wall that emits
(listen!)
a scritch-scratch-scritch
(behind, within)
of something trapped,
hidden,
concealed away
from such profuse display
of gilding…
The inset section trembles,
shivers, shifts, glides back
upon itself into the wall,
reveals a hollow space
that holds a child…
A child who, in turn, holds
a pale fluff of smallish kitten
(rabbit?)
snug against her sternum…
Who looks up, surprised,
to be rescued at long last,
released from confinement
(days, months, years?)
blinking darkness from
wide eyes.
— C.Birde, 4/22
Sea Prayer Song — A Poem
I take my heart
to the sea
for safekeeping;
with blessings,
the pines’ sighs
pleat the air;
& the chickadees
bind us All
in song.
— C.Birde, 4/22
Nightjars & Damselflies 