River Song
by Constance Brewer
From the banks of Susquehanna,
blackbirds sing out “Poor me”,
and bandy about patch red wings;
like signage on a marquee.
“Poor me, poor old me, poor little me.”
Blood soaked shoulder slash
underlined by yellow,
the drill sergeant has arrived
and soon begins to bellow;
“Poor me! Poor me! Poor me! Poor meeeee!”
Sodden banks of emerald green
threaten to burst before long,
swollen ripe with serenades,
weighty with bird song.
"Poor me, poor me, poor old meeee."
Where the Susquehanna bends
toward the fading light of day,
a last reminding plaintive call,
this acoustical bouquet;
“Poooor meeeeeeeeeee...."
23 comments:
This is a really good poetic description of the bird!
i loved this.. a song in flight feeling....
Oh I agree with crafty, great description of red wing blackbirds. I am familiar with the Susquehanna from field trips when I was an undergrad so this is a double treat.
I'm not at all familiar with the Susquehanna being based in the U.K.but your poem positively sings.
THis is no poem! This a song. I like the rhythm.
i love the imagery of this poem. "blood soaked shoulder slash underlined by yellow" --so vivid!
Desciptive and visual. I hear the song, the call and the voice.
crafty green poet, paisley, paul decelles - thanks. I love red wing blackbirds and miss their rusty songs on the river banks.
carole, - just an east coast US river, probably much like the ones you have in the U.K. :)
gautami tripathy - thanks! I played with the lines for a long time trying to get the right rhythm.
odessa - red wings remind me of soldiers with their different degrees of shoulder patches.
tumblewords -thank you!
I enjoyed your PT piece, and also had fun looking around here. You have a nice place!
pepektheassassin- Thanks for checking out the poem and looking around.
Just steer clear of the basement...
One of my favorite birds, your poem about them is lovely. Feels just right.
...deb - thank you. :)
Just beautiful, and very charming! Thank you. :~)
I agree with Odessa. I love the images in this poem. Very nice!
fledgling poet and january, thank you for your kind words. Glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Constance! Very cool poem, and I really like red wing blackbirds. There is something so dramatic and elegant about them. I love how your poem gave voice to their song.
:)
Hi clare, thanks! I love the red wings song, there's not near enough of them around right now to be as noisy as I wrote about...
I love red wing black birds. this poem is a great reminder of how I miss seeing them.
Roberta- I have to drive a bit to get my red wing fix. In the spring they hang out in my trees, but in the summer they move to the lake. :)
nice poem, I love the title and the word Susquehanna has a nice sound to it--and it's a great river
thanks sage - I grew up on "The banks of the Susquehanna. :)
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