Three Happinesses: Part One

I know how it is. Darkness

seems more honest than daylight,

when we shuffle our hearts

to the bottom of the stack,

brew coffee, match socks, clock in.

If I tell you my happiness

I must be leaving something out.

So I write to you of griefs,

nakedly. But while you are

licking their salt from your lips,

somewhere that you are not looking

a songbird is taking a breath,

opening its mouth to sing.

Rockabye Baby: The Remix

My little sister was born when I was a teenager. I was so excited to sing lullabies to her. However, once I began to sing the classic "Rockabye Baby," I was horrified at the words, which I'd never really noticed as a child. Since then, I've heard a lot of other people express amused horror that our favorite lullaby depicts a baby falling out of a tree. So I thought I'd share the alternate words I made up as a 15-year-old. The tune is the same, of course, although I did add a few more syllables. Sing it aloud a couple times, and I bet you'll get the gist.

Rockabye baby, in the treetop
When the wind blows, the cradle will rock
Hear the tree whisper in the soft breeze
Sunlight is falling through all the leaves
A brown birdy sings you a lullaby
Now fall asleep, out under the sky


Enjoy!

15/30: Birdsong in Fog

You’ll reach out blind

to touch feathers

but pull back only

handfuls of clear water.

Through felted-wool silence

the blazing notes

repeat repeat repeat

an urgent message

in no known language,

the inscrutable eyes

of a new lover.

5/30: Rufous Hummingbird #2

Swaggering

Gem-jawed thief
Armor-plated honey-tongue 
Chirrup chirrup tzee
Chirr whirr heckle jab 
Hum thrumm bee 

3/30: Warrior (Rufous Hummingbird #1)

Dawn. The warrior rises from his nest,

ties round his throat

chainmaille of fish scales

and admires himself in the birdbath.

Fire glints from his wings

as he drives before him

the helpless throngs of gnats

and midges. They perish above

the smooth lawns of suburbia.

The tuberose are trumpets

proclaiming his triumph.

He sups their sweet nectars.

No one will challenge his sword.

Even the chipmunks tremble.

for Marilyn

Here's a silly little poem about rufous hummingbirds. They're tiny and flashy and fierce, and I adore them.  Thanks to All About Birds for educating me so I could completely fabricate stuff about fish scales.