Thanks so much, Margaret Ann. I've never heard a whippoorwill in person, and when I found a recording online of its call, it ... didn't sound the way I expected. But it was beautiful! I'm glad you liked my attempt to echo it.
I love the whippoorwill poem, the details are so precise, the lack of fear of the bird chanting, nesting on the ground… And the crow and flag, what a literally metaphorical moment.
Thank you, LeeAnn! That poem started as a draft from one of our poem-a-day exercises in April 2024 and I thought at first that it was in the "fun, but won't go anywhere" category ... but the whippoorwill wouldn't stop calling to me.
Guess what, indeed! Poor, pathetic crow flapping wildly in his last-ditch efforts to stay aloft as the winds of change blow harder every day. Beautifully done, Elizabeth. Thank you!
Loved your post, Elizabeth, starting with the photo caption. Made me chuckle. And the first poem! Love these lines…
“why if wary
chant and chant the dusk away
then dawn back to the sky”
And “ no fear
of humankind; whatever we
may alter or destroy, it knows,
at last, we cannot steal the night.”
And in the second poem, I’m empathizing with that crow’s frantic attack! The flapping American flag sure seems ominous these days. The talons skidding on gray steel was so vivid.
I really appreciate both of these poems which are so different and yet...
Clever, deep, perspective.
Many thanks, Simon. I appreciate your appreciation.
Both so good, and so different. My favorite lines from the first poem:
"why if wary
chant and chant the dusk away
then dawn back to the sky,
the same quick sad cadenza, joy
in a minor key, a dozen
and a dozen times again?"
Thanks so much, Margaret Ann. I've never heard a whippoorwill in person, and when I found a recording online of its call, it ... didn't sound the way I expected. But it was beautiful! I'm glad you liked my attempt to echo it.
I just went and listened to a recording online. It doesn’t sound like I imagined either! But it’s definitely so distinctive.
I love the whippoorwill poem, the details are so precise, the lack of fear of the bird chanting, nesting on the ground… And the crow and flag, what a literally metaphorical moment.
Thank you, LeeAnn! That poem started as a draft from one of our poem-a-day exercises in April 2024 and I thought at first that it was in the "fun, but won't go anywhere" category ... but the whippoorwill wouldn't stop calling to me.
I agree with Petrina. Flag is ominous these days. Go Crow!!
Crow was hard at work!
Love the imagery in both, and especially, the crow's "...loud voice/ small in the whipping wind..."
Thank you, MK. 🐦⬛
Guess what, indeed! Poor, pathetic crow flapping wildly in his last-ditch efforts to stay aloft as the winds of change blow harder every day. Beautifully done, Elizabeth. Thank you!
He was working hard, to be sure, but he was SO fierce and SO persistent, so sure he could win if he kept trying! Thanks so much for reading, Sulima.
Loved your post, Elizabeth, starting with the photo caption. Made me chuckle. And the first poem! Love these lines…
“why if wary
chant and chant the dusk away
then dawn back to the sky”
And “ no fear
of humankind; whatever we
may alter or destroy, it knows,
at last, we cannot steal the night.”
And in the second poem, I’m empathizing with that crow’s frantic attack! The flapping American flag sure seems ominous these days. The talons skidding on gray steel was so vivid.
Thanks so much for reading, Petrina! I love hearing about your favorite lines and images.