Coming back home, after a long stint south,
I passed the blue sign on the turnpike that reads
“Massachusetts Welcomes You.”
Under the “Welcomes,” some Mayflower blooms,
And a chickadee perches there, under the "You.”
I’d seen this bird busying our woods as a boy,
Seen its black helmet with small streaks of white,
Flitting from thickets to rest on a branch,
Or maybe on mother's stone up on the hill.
From there, it’d cheer the winter woods with a call:
“Chicka DEE DEE DEE!”
Standing as still as a young boy knows how,
I’d see how it puffs out its tiny, tan chest,
Then sends forth the words
It hopes someone might hear:
“Hello!”
“Please be careful!”
“Let’s share what I’ve found!”
Sometimes, my human chest puffs out as well,
Set to deliver my own human calls:
“Hi, there.”
“You’re welcome.”
“So, where are you from?”
Still, some calls get stuck on their way to my throat,
And with all of my puffing, I can’t get them out.
Whenever I try, I feel misunderstood,
And the message gets lost from one tree to the next.
Chickadee, have all songs for your feelings been found
Or do some stay inside, never making a sound?
The nights were short,
A clear summer, long and hot,
A chickadee visited every dawn,
And caught a stunning view by the pane.
Maybe my nest’s walls knew,
A fluffy gray-black chick who...
Lit the sun pointed to my nest house...
Captured my morning drowse.
A courageous little skylark,
With a notorious chirp crack,
She repeatedly taps my pane,
And sharply beeps, in rhythmic strain.
Pulled from beloved slumber, I scan who,
Through my drowsy eyes, I view...
The vivid rattle, truly, she’s a great dancer,
My ears almost paralyzed by the clatter.
Through the solid unglazed pane its clear,
The morning breeze powers the air,
The lovely melody alarms my doze...
Tirelessly, she airs her pose.
The shrill stole my focus,
A lone owls’ hoot – a secret in the sunrise,
The arduous tweet feels counterfeit,
But the unfolding truth won’t lie or cheat.
CHICKADEE
The term of endearment for a girl
Now dated slang and rarely heard
But around any lady it could swirl
Not so much the cute winter bird
But for some, a patronising word
Outside my window lives a chickadee,
he loves snowy green pine,
and has a family of about twenty-three;
he loves the snow and falling snowflakes divine,
and each morning the whole family sings for me.
Sometimes they scatter on clamous whirling wings,
off to a park nearby,
my heart is sad for their songs are like violins;
then, the beat of their wild swirling wings multiply,
they have brought home many, many friends I sigh.
On warmer days I bring them some seeds,
I put the seeds on my hand,
and am always in awe with their fluttering speeds;
I love each created by God delicate painted band
helping the birds helps me to grow and transcend.
They huddle together when it is very cold,
at times they lift a foot,
I think God not only gave them beauty but a soul;
each morning I must go to my window to have a look
I find them twittering, and tweeting in a clamor bruit.
the flap of a wing
puffing up a downy coat
longing for the sun
excited daring chickadee living by the China Sea
got permission to drive in the Grand Prix
first chick to be invited in history
grandma got excited and slapped her knee.
wait a second said Uncle Lee. Is there a fee?
yes but I have earned money from my geometry.
and my books on the craziness of biology.
my UK royalties are as great as they can be.
grandma hoisted a yellow banner in her old elm tree.
said “My grandson Mike will be driving in the Grand Prix.”
friends flew over from all directions to take a selfie.
causing the whole family to go on a social media spree.
madagascar monkey, chickadee and delaware donkey
all three argued about the zesty orange pekoe tea
monkey said on the cover was Crocodile Dundee
chickadee and donkey would not agree
said it looked more like Tolly Wolly Zee tree
this kind of arguing is hurtful said Auntie Vee
that is gleefully silly said my cousin Twitching Twee
what about my japanese sushi asked Uncle Wee Bee.
His lunch had been dug from the China Sea
I was consternated but only me.
lee lee was showing off her pie of chick-a-pea.
let’s let this argument die, said Aunt Bea.
being friends with each other is the ultimate key
are those arguers the only sweet potato pies you see?
what if they flee? Asked lee, dee, and grand prix.
that would be no big deal, said auntie spree.
an argument that would die as soon as we decided to agree.
i was consternated, but only me.
The hawk swooped down with a loud scree,
a death knell for the small chickadee.
chickadee and squirrel
roommates for a moment
one trills, the other chitter chatters
one has feathers, the other has fluffy fur
none of their colors are the same
they do not have simultaneous beliefs
cannot speak each other’s language
but today each speaks silence.
Sweet merry happy chickadee
was terrified of the old racer chimpanzee
He is not so bad threw in the bumblebee
If you knew him well, you could easily see…
But he has such a loud monster truck-like Humvee!
It scares the honey nectar juice out of me!
We watched him race at the chimpanzee Grand Prix.
My auntie Tee paid for Chickadee’s entrée fee.
Now we are all friends – he, she, they and me.
Of course, this includes the wild ornery bumblebee.
We all went out last Tuesday for Orange Pekoe Tea.
Chickadee, chimpanzee, bumblebee and me!
cute, curious, bird
witty chick-like chickadee
winter acrobat
Syllabic count: 5/7/5
A 2nd Place in the following contest (judged on Jan. 22, 2021)
Jan. 19, 2021
A Cardinal, Blue Jay, or Chickadee Haiku Poetry Contest
Contest sponsor: Tania Kitchin
hallmark of good luck
herald of celestial realm
grants eternal bliss
A Cardinal, Blue Jay, or Chickadee Haiku Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: Tania Kitchin
Date: 19-01-2021
PLACE : 5 th
chickadee in tree
gaily busy with hatchlings~
insects shy away
1/18/2021
A Cardinal, Blue Jay, Or Chickadee Haiku Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: Tania Kitchin
retweets of alarm -
owls in the vicinity . . .
chick-a-dee-dee-dee
Jan. 18, 2021
for Tania Kitchin's A Cardinal, Blue Jay, Or Chickadee Haiku Poetry Contest
(had to totally change this one. Soup does not allow the fun little word for
chickadee which the whole haiku was originally based on)
chickadee greeting
morning sunshine singalong~
tipping their black caps*
*Black-Capped Chickadees
1/18/2021
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