“Quiet Birds!”

 

For my dear friend, Steve New,  originally from Devon, UK, who disappeared in 2002 and just turned up again, healthy and now in France. Steve was a  Master Falconer, a major inspiration in my paintings of birds,  he and his Harris Hawk, Sigi and his mews of Eagle Hawks and Barn Owls, etc. I think there was a Goshawk in there or two…..and his great generosity to an apprentice falconer and new bird painter.  This poem dedicated to him and our friendship.

(Watercolor, jane kohut-Bartels, 1995, Nuthatches)

Over at dversepoets pub, it’s Open Link Night, without a prompt, where you get to post a poem of your choice.  Come read the  poets there,  and get inspired…

Lady Nyo

 

QUIET BIRDS

 

Quiet birds!

Your chatter adds crystallized chaos

To last night’s tokaji clouding the brain.

My eyes open with reluctance

To splinters of light

Challenging soft, painful membranes.

 

 

 

The smell of black coffee cuts

Into the reality I am no longer young.

A night like last should be wrapped in tissue

Locked deep in a trunk,

To find when I am past temptations-

Having room only for memories and regrets.

 

 

 

Quiet birds.

The day looks promising.

I await a new flock of metaphors

With polished feathers

Landing on my shoulders,

Weighing me down-

Colorful daydreams,

Peacock words,

Bird of Paradise thoughts!

 

 

For some reason,

Words, whole paragraphs,

Circle my head, then

Flap off in a thunder of wings.

 

I hear laughter of rude crows,

See a mess of bird droppings,

And with a few cracked seeds begin my penitence-

Starvation wages for a poor poet,

Left to a flightless life.

 

Jane Kohut-Bartels

Copyrighted, 2017

Tags: "Quiet Birds", dvesepoets pub., poery