Harbinger of Spring when my brothers return
songs caress the soul on summer days
no longer heard at this time before fall
sitting here I hear the catbird call
not the same as a blackbird song
One day you're here - now you're gone
I miss the melody that was sung
you went to the south without a goodbye
drying stalks of corn all that remain
neglected nest that was battered by rain
in the back of my mind I hear the song
One day you're heard - now you're gone
Now I miss the songs that seem long ago
in the fields and up on the wire
final words to those now on the wing
when Winter is gone and your return come Spring
in the meantime I recall your last song
Hear it again - now that you're gone
From Lang Elliot, YouTube
 |
| One of our red-winged blackbirds from an earlier Spring |
Posted at Writers’ Pantry #38: Ominous Times
Yes Joel, enjoyed this - lovely natural balance and resonance in the piece - "One day you're heard - now you're gone" and with the promise (the hope at least...) of a return. Great!
ReplyDeleteThe calendar doesn't matter, it's Spring when the red-winged blackbird arrives. The hot days of Summer in Iowa and their songs belong with each other.
DeleteThanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts, Scott
A missed song is the most poignant song.
ReplyDeleteSo true.
DeleteWhen the cicadas arrive, it means the blackbird will soon be flying south. It can't pick the day I last heard them and it's kind of sad.
DeleteThe change of season is changing the number of birds visiting my feeder. So, this one hits home.
ReplyDeleteA fellow birder, Magaly - Yes! We keep multiple feeders over Winter but not so much during the summer.
Delete'One day you're here - now you're gone' says it all.
ReplyDeleteOminous times indeed. Nice work Joel.
This Summer went past and I barely felt it. Thanks, Ron.
DeleteLovely and melodic. That emptiness as seasons shift is present in this.
ReplyDeleteThis is a bit on the sad side of things. Thank you, Chrissa. I think my over-listening to Bob Dylan is coming through.
DeleteI like the repeating lines and feel the yearning of the song. More gone than not.
ReplyDeleteThank your for your comment, Colleen. I'm glad you liked this. My friends will return in the Spring for another Summer of songs.
DeleteOne day here, now gone...and yet we're left with the eternal promise of return and Spring to follow Winter. Nicely written, Joel!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Beverly. These blackbirds are as much a part of the farm as I am and in some ways more so.
DeleteI'm fascinated by poems about birds we don't have here. You evoked this one beautifully, even without the pics. (But I am glad to see them too.)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you liked this, Rosemary. This came to me as I took a short break and realized I no longer heard their song. I couldn't remember the last day I heard them because I've been paying more attention to my work rather than listening.
DeleteI need to make the time to listen again.
enjoyed your poem, Joel. i really like the rhythm and rhymes in the poem.
ReplyDeletewe don't have the seasons over here and most birds we encountered are the usual urban birds. crows, pigeons, javan mynahs. not exactly songbirds. once a while a stray or lost kingfisher or kite flies around our apartments. we have migratory birds visiting our wetlands in the north. :)
I'm very glad you like this, Cheong Lee San. I hope you find an unusual feathered visitor soon and thank you for sharing a part of your world.
DeleteThe wistful tone reminds me its OK to mourn the passing of summer a bit, even though I've learned to appreciate the beauty of each season. There is something very sweet here that's hitting a chord in me.
ReplyDeleteI'm very glad you liked this, Rommy. It means a lot to me that I can have an impact like this.
DeleteWe always mark their arrival but never their last day. I realized that this year and this came to mind. Thank you