Sometimes Mondays
01/14/2019
. . . call out for poetry.
Starlings in Winter
--- Mary Oliver
Chunky and noisy,
but with stars in their black feathers,
they spring from the telephone wire
and instantly
They are acrobats
in the freezing wind.
And now, in the theater of air,
they swing over buildings,
dipping and rising;
they float like one strippled star
that opens,
becomes for a moment fragmented,
then closes again;
and you watch
and you try
but you simply can’t imagine
how they do it
with articulated instruction, no pause,
only the silent confirmation
that they are this notable thing,
this wheel of many parts, than can rise and spin
over and over again,
full of gorgeous life.
Ah, world, what lessons you prepare for us,
even in the leafless winter,
even in the ashy city.
I am thinking now
of grief, and of getting past it;
I feel my boots
trying to leave the ground,
I feel my heart
pumping hard. I want
to think again of dangerous and noble things.
I want to be light and frolicsome.
I want to be improbable beautiful and afraid of nothing,
as though I had wings.
Beautiful poem (I love Starlings) and gorgeous photo.
Posted by: Vera | 01/14/2019 at 08:16 AM
Perfect indeed for a Monday. This morning the gathering of mourning doves on the wires were impressive!!
Posted by: Kat | 01/14/2019 at 08:59 AM
Mary has a poem for every feeling, and this the bleakness of winter. In just a few words, we feel her grief and sorrow. She always wows.
Posted by: margene | 01/14/2019 at 09:00 AM
Perfect for the start of the bleak and bitter gray season!
Posted by: Bonny | 01/14/2019 at 09:27 AM
Thank-you Kym! Ah...the image of the starlings is just lovely.
Posted by: Patty | 01/14/2019 at 09:34 AM
I love Mary! This poem is perfect for this very cold day!
Posted by: Debbie | 01/14/2019 at 09:49 AM
Beautiful photo!
Posted by: kim in oregon | 01/14/2019 at 10:19 AM
A beautiful poem for this leafless winter day.
Posted by: Carole | 01/14/2019 at 01:59 PM
Mary Oliver is just breathtaking—I’m thinking of dangerous and noble things!
Posted by: Jo | 01/14/2019 at 02:03 PM
sigh. I Love Mary Oliver every day. and this made me think I've seen more cardinals, doves, crows and hawks. but no starlings. still, I do wish for a week of "improbable beautiful". Thank you, Kym!
Posted by: Mary | 01/14/2019 at 05:56 PM
Your photo and Mary’s poem...doesn’t get any better than this! I have a friend who is a bird watcher but she doesn’t like starlings - so I guess she’d not appreciate your post. Her loss...
Cheers~
Posted by: Honore Francois | 01/16/2019 at 09:38 AM