The Sunbirds
Posted: Wed Nov 08, 2023 8:18 pm
Sunbirds sing in endless reveries of color,
from vibrant hues of red and blue and yellow
to melodic threads of turquoise
-and blots of tangerine orange.
They perch in the shadows of ancient oak trees,
in the silhouettes of olive branches, their delicate
twists deep darkness’ stitch of tumbling winds.
In the violet dome of the trees the vibrant plumage,
the glowing colors only shine more brightly, each
shade a dreamscape of what our own humanity
might become.
—-
At the hour of noon, the tamirs reach the
periwinkle sky, their wings like frantic fingers
tearing through Prokofiev’s Concerto,
Pianoforte.
Across the darkening sky-board
the birds enlist feathers to paint melodies, odd
calligraphies,
bird poems,
prayers to the heavens—
any and all forms of expression
that might convey their song
of desperation.
Again and again the winds use the hands
of erasure to dismiss the despondent
cry of the sunbirds.
All sorrow is holy,
dismissal profane.
The birds must be held,
once again in the confines
of the trees.
By morning their wings will be clipped, their
bodies wrestled to the ground,
their masses rolling in the mire, wash,
and sludge of Wadi Gaza.
—-
May the memory of their beauty
sing to the light within us all,
like a prayer
for compassion
and continuous hope
for renewal and grace.
from vibrant hues of red and blue and yellow
to melodic threads of turquoise
-and blots of tangerine orange.
They perch in the shadows of ancient oak trees,
in the silhouettes of olive branches, their delicate
twists deep darkness’ stitch of tumbling winds.
In the violet dome of the trees the vibrant plumage,
the glowing colors only shine more brightly, each
shade a dreamscape of what our own humanity
might become.
—-
At the hour of noon, the tamirs reach the
periwinkle sky, their wings like frantic fingers
tearing through Prokofiev’s Concerto,
Pianoforte.
Across the darkening sky-board
the birds enlist feathers to paint melodies, odd
calligraphies,
bird poems,
prayers to the heavens—
any and all forms of expression
that might convey their song
of desperation.
Again and again the winds use the hands
of erasure to dismiss the despondent
cry of the sunbirds.
All sorrow is holy,
dismissal profane.
The birds must be held,
once again in the confines
of the trees.
By morning their wings will be clipped, their
bodies wrestled to the ground,
their masses rolling in the mire, wash,
and sludge of Wadi Gaza.
—-
May the memory of their beauty
sing to the light within us all,
like a prayer
for compassion
and continuous hope
for renewal and grace.