Kingfisher
By onemorething
- 2720 reads
A kingfisher cannot tell you
which way the wind will blow,
her squat form built only for the dive
of mercuried blue from reed perches,
exists to seek an unlucky minnow
or stickleback, head tilted
against deceptive refractions.
A kingfisher will not bring you luck
in a feather or avert the threat
of stormy weather: when you have eaten
sunsets, you must wear the sky
upon your back and hold a fire
inside your belly - she has burdens
enough of her own.
A kingfisher does not observe
the distractions of reflections
of dreams of clouds, her eyes -
black pools of focus, and
in all things, she operates in flashes:
taken, stunned, swallowed headfirst,
then for another, this is how she fishes -
she cannot live on trusts and wishes
and the swindles of guarantees.
No kingfisher ever promised
a single halcyon day,
nor nested on fish bones to still
an ocean; instead, she will thread light
into the darkness of a riverbank,
bury her ivory-shelled tomorrows,
and here, feverish hopes will emerge
from the compaction of wintered griefs.
Image from wikimedia commons:
Also this painting on twitter: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kingfisher_Ruskin.jpg
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Comments
so many wonderful lines!
so many wonderful lines!
"thread light"
"distractions of reflections"
"mercuried blue"
"operates in flashes"
I like too how you dip in and out of rhyme like you are dipping into water to catch a fish
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Super! I really like this and will read again -
I have a kingfisher pin for my Tiller - beak all wrong, metal lump. I see them everyday here - our river hummingbird, although two very different birdies, I shout out hummingbird to rolled eyes often :) Work phonecalls with me looking out of the window can be a bit confusing I'm told - this is a good portrait of the little dart - silver seeker - have lost/been looking for a little poem about a laughing jackass and a kookaburra kingfisher...search continues -I'll read yours again for now x
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The Avon? Lovely -
(I found my kookie kingfisher poem. Thanks for the nudge to search. Its 15 odd years old, posted it:)
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Another admirable poem in
Another admirable poem in your inimitable style, Rachel.
Luigi x
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Hi Rachel,
Hi Rachel,
I found this stanza so inspiring just had to write it down:-
A Kingfisher will not bring you luck
in a feather or avert the threat
of stormy weather; when you have eaten
sunsets, you must wear the sky
upon your back and hold a fire
inside your belly - it has burdens
enough of its own.
I could just imagine this bird in flight, its only thoughts are wondering when and where it's next meal would come.
Jenny.
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You have such a wonderful eye
You have such a wonderful eye for the physical qualities of nature, but also that ability to use those things as a springboard for so many thoughtful meditations. Beautiful and accessible poetry. Such a pleasure to read.
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