One Bird, One Branch, One Song
The last two weeks have been crazy busy BUT I love Tricia’s – of The Miss Rumphius Effect – poetry stretches. So I couldn’t let this week go by without attempting – another first for me – a Tritina!
The thing about writing to the poetry stretch, is that it’s a bit uncomfortable for me to post a poem that’s still a work-in-progress. The upside is that time is short, and I work better to deadline. And truth be told, if I were to give myself the time needed to “make it perfect” I might never stretch. So, even though I can’t get this to format properly on the page, here goes:
One Bird, One Branch, One Song
Stand tall. Arms wide. Chin up. Sing.
Let no one stop you. Dance.
Take a chance. It’s your life. Live.
Wild and free. Or dangerously. Live
quietly, too. If you do, you will hear that one bird sing.
You might see it wing its way to tree. One branch will dance
and then the leaves stir. And the bird – the bird! – hop-dances
and in that one moment, the world becomes alive.
You and song and bird. Bird and earth and sky. Even I might sing.
Even she. Even he. Even we might, all together, the whole world. Sing, dance, live.
* * * *
Today being “Poem in Your Pocket Day” (Thanks, Julie!) I shared one of Julie’s poems, “Like Bees Over Clover,” with the teachers and staff at my school. If you haven’t already read it – or even if you have! – read it here. It’s marvelous. Here’s a peek:
Like Bees Over Clover by Julie Larios
Poems hum, they come
at you like bees over clover,
and Honey, they can even sting.
Poems ring…
My first graders put the poem – “Good Books, Good Times” – another favorite by Lee Bennett Hopkins (from the book Good Rhymes, Good Times) in their pockets. You can listen to a short audio clip of Lee reading his poem here.
