unbelievably, the sturdy nest, high in the white pine
carefully crafted and wedged
came loose in high winds
and hurtled down to the ground
taking with it two eaglets
before this, thriving
now broken and dead
wings never to soar
pair of eagle parents in shock,
stunned, going back to the spot and letting out plaintive
cries
the blackbird understands this lonely screaming
as it rests on a nearby branch
feeling caution for when
the instinct of the eagles will arise again
to go on with life --
eyes flashing left and right
seeing more clearly now than
in the night that will come
and for a moment, feeling free
to fall
© nan, 2014
[Note: As you probably will also, I recognized the source of these words immediately since they come from one of my all-time favorite Beatles songs. I found it much more difficult to write a poem when the melody and word arrangement of these words is part of my brain/memory fabric. And then, based on events that happened on Thursday/Friday, the poem came to me. The eagle's nest I had the good fortune to observe and photograph a couple of weeks ago did in fact blow out of its high pine... and the eaglets were confirmed dead by a biologist on a listserv that Tom is on. Nature's cruelty hit me hard. I must say, though, that I prefer the arrangement and meaning of the words from the Beatles song Blackbird much more than they way they arrange here ... and still, I enjoyed the challenge of making new meaning from words that are otherwise close to my heart.]
12 comments:
Beautiful use of the wordle words to share the eagles' story. This is sad, and yes nature is often cruel. Your last few lines are almost soothing. Brava!
I think you capture the real rather than the ideal..both are good songs in their very own way
Wow! Is that why so many have posted links to that Beatles song? I feel so stupid for not making the connection... Anyhow... Though extremely sad, I really enjoyed this. Especially the juxtaposition (is that the word I'm looking for) between the sorrow of the eagles and the blackbird's reprieve... Very nicely written!
Lovely poem. Glad you shared the notes with us. Well wordled.
The blackbird's joy set against the eagle's sorrow.. nature is cruel but very real
Interesting take on the prompt this time around. You are creative!
Free to fall as we all are, but we choose to fly. Great rendition!
I think birds and the rest of the natural world are more pragmatic. Of course there will be a mourning period but they know there is still a job to do, if not this season, then the next. They don't even have time to post it on Facebook!
So vivid, Nan... I love it!
Your first stanza is full of shock and grief. Then you step away and give us a different view and feeling. I like what you did with the words.
Elizabeth
Vivid write on nature's cruelty, nan. I could see the scene, so sad.
Pamela ox
A wonderful poem on the beauty and heartbreak of nature. Lovely work!
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