Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Tuesday's Tale: Legacy


(file from Google Images-layoutsparks.com)

Blackbird perched upon her branch
(a for-bearer of pending doom)
patiently waiting for his chance
as burgeoning buds eventually bloom

Flowers give way to emerald leaves
while blackbird nests, keeping watch
other birds surf gentle breezes
he bides his time sipping Scotch

Blackbird stirs as time draws near
'twixt her foliage he lustily recites
poems of love, chivalry into her ear
words...wound tight, delights, excites

Blackbird left in stealth of night
stealing from her bountiful tree
sweet tender fruit, not fully ripe,
though she’d gladly given for free

Blackbird drops pilfered pit
over seedy part of town
‘tween asphalt sheets & butts well thrown,
nourished by rain of spilt Royal Crown

Weeping golden tears upon the ground
she empties self, mourning loss
of love imagined, so pure, profound
comforting self with layers of winter moss

Meanwhile ‘cross city-scape
her daughter burrows deep
taking root as night sky drapes
wintry blanket under which she sleeps

Thus story begins anew
when unto chaos she emerges
(against all odds it survived), and grew
her marrow with pavement merges

Generations came, decades spent
(mom's) memories coursing through veins
this time, she thought, will be diff’rent
as blackbird settles in, taking reign

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A d'Verse Poets Pub "Open Link Night" offering

12 comments:

Julie Kwiatkowski Schuler said...

A lovely poem. Symbioses and sadness.

Brian Miller said...

wow polly this may be the best verse i ever read by you...def well crafted and love the bird wrap around at the end as it makes for a great touch...

Susan Anderson said...

Wonderfully done, Polly. This one goes to the very core.

=)

hedgewitch said...

Powerful, sincere, and extremely effective writing--the form here, so structured, just makes the understated that much more real and horrific. The blackbird made me think of the priests and the child abuse scandals in the Catholic church, but it works equally well just as a more general indictment. An excellent poem on a rough subject.

Anonymous said...

For me, blackbirds fill such a symbolic role. When my sister was dying of pancreatic cancer, they were all over the yard outside her window. In the novel I'm currently rewriting, I've used them as a symbol of someone who's died. Right now, where I am for the winter, they are abundant. Their caw is a bit eerie. I love how you've used them in this poem that I'm on the way back to reread as I look at the labels you've given them. Thank you.

Anonymous said...

For me, blackbirds fill such a symbolic role. When my sister was dying of pancreatic cancer, they were all over the yard outside her window. In the novel I'm currently rewriting, I've used them as a symbol of someone who's died. Right now, where I am for the winter, they are abundant. Their caw is a bit eerie. I love how you've used them in this poem that I'm on the way back to reread as I look at the labels you've given them. Thank you.

Anonymous said...

Sorry about the double comment. When I read it again, it blew me away.

Daydreamer said...

Blackbirds do tend to have a bad name in so many ways. They are always used in connection with evil or danger. I used to really hate crows and saw them as bullies and such, until I discovered that, like some other creatures, they mate for life. it kind of made them so much more acceptable to me then. Especially when I began to also notice how much they both care for their young too, even long after they can fly themselves.
This is deep, a difficult subject and yes, history repeats unless we break the cycle.
Sad, but very lovely writing.

G-Man said...

Very well written Polly...
Your Muse is working overtime, and doing a Bang Up job!

the domestic mama said...

I love it! I regret not coming by as often. This reminds me to visit every day. You are soooo wonderfully blessed in writing.

Claudya Martinez said...

This is a beauty. So well crafted.

Brian Miller said...

hey you...thought about you today and thought i would look you up to see if you just fell out of my reader....hope you are well...

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