There was a house.
There is a house.
There was a kite.
There is a kite.
There was a clock.
There is a clock.
When I
dig the earth
with a spade,
the earth falls into
the spade’s memoir.
The spade falls into
the earth’s memoir.
In the pond nearby,
a blue water-lily
does not fall
into anything.
It
calls out to the kingfishers,
saying,
Come,
have some fish and go.
He waits
on the thin, silver branch
carved from morning itself~
blue flame,
stillness sharpened to a single point.
The pond below
holds its breath for him,
a sheet of muted glass
trembling with the promise
of a break.
Then~
a flicker,
a downward flare of cobalt,
a clean, bright cut
through water and silence.
He rises with a shimmer
of droplets and triumph,
the world briefly jeweled
in his wake.
And for a moment
I understood
how a life can be both
precision and miracle~
a single blue body
teaching the air
how to shine.
Kingfisher blue
Holy halcyon
Fleeting, flashing brand new
Brightly and beautiful
Occasionally
Spotted by you
a flash of teal blue
iridescent plumage gleams
fresh fish for supper
Danger of prey
Is all around
You fly or swim.
The belted kingfisher is a cool dude,
But his girlfriend is even brighter hued.
He's loaded with dazzling features, but
What I like best is his spiky haircut.
The kingfisher is the diving tip of a rainbow,
a chromatic splinter,
a deadly certainty
piercing sky and water.
All morning it has perched high atop a dead tree.
The sun rose softly (good for fishing),
but now it glares and deflects the eye,
yet
here in this swift instant, a gaudy arrow of light,
plucks a small silver fish out of nowhere,
rises
until it is not even a shadow,
for a harsh sun has already hid it.
KINGFISHER
Me the Kingfisher :
Nice looking, smart
Brightly coloured bird.
I own long bill with special skill
to catch floating fish.
My sharp keen eye sight
helps to keep an eye on river or sea.
I won't spare for fry too.
I am quite expert on kinetic art to dive.
Kudos in swooping down,
but not to get drowned.
I can swim and crack open crustaceans.
So ! Only fishes are not my preys !
For meal other water creatures,
I taste at best.
KINGFISHER
Kingfisher smart red bird.
Keen sharp eye sight to own.
Keeps an eye on river.
Knows to catch floating fish.
Kindness lacks for fry too.
Kinetic art to dive.
Kudos in swooping down.
I remember I got up earlier than usual
A bright summer morning with no one around
I crossed the road onto the country path
And made my way along
Past the farmer’s reservoir
Through the long grass of a fallow field
And over the stile
I came to a little hamlet without a name
Not much to speak of
A handful of thatched cottages
With a narrow stream beside
Down in the water
Long fronds of weed glistened
And then, so quick I almost didn’t see it,
A flash of iridescence
So intense in the summer light
Like a jewel hovering
It flew off quickly
I strained to see it
Looping along
As if following bunting down the stream
My first kingfisher!
Soaring in orange
kingfisher blue in the sun
beyond red roses
Afternoon has come softly
smothered by the summer heat
Oblivious bird
making the most of each day
by still silver lakes
Trills dawn to sunset curtains
purple and wrapped in diamonds
brilliantly colored
scuba diving apparel ~
array on parade
prettily perching
fun, feathered festivity ~
eyes on the prizes
watching and waiting
intelligent inquiry ~
flickering movement
mobile suit gundam
beak poised in full readiness ~
instinctive appetition
diving without halt
flying somersault
NB: Other - Haiku Sonnet form created by David Marshall; 4 haikus plus a couplet of either 5.5 or 7.7 syllables, total of 14 lines.
Winter winter ! Oh, when will you go away,
chirps the Kingfisher bird in a frosty tree;
then, suddenly snow is melting one spring day,
now, the Kingfisher is happy and carefree.
He sits on a bare branch in nature's decay,
in a flash he dives for a spring fish buffet;
his stream ripples and glistens in the sunshine,
and now each new day the Kingfisher can dine!
__________________________
February 15, 2023
Poetry/Rhyme/The Kingfisher
Copyright Protected, ID 02-1525-580-15
All Rights Reserved, 2023, Constance La France
Written for the Standard contest, You Select Again
sponsor, Brian Strand, Judged 02/16/2023
Honorable Mention
My kingfisher neighbor finally flew in.
I had been luring him with bits of fruit.
But it was the first time I had walked away.
I should have walked away sooner, I thought.
He was a polite lunch guest.
He sat quietly, not attempting to devour anything without an invite.
I had fed him from the window but did not know how close I dared get.
I did not want to scare him.
I walked a bit closer, watching him closely.
He nodded and flew off.
Deciding this was his thank you in advance, I peeled off a bit of orange.
Placed it outside the window on the ledge.
We ate our breakfast in silence, admiring each other.
It was more than enough thank you.
A good friend once told me that kingfishers know the secrets of the universe
But dear friend, what about this moorhen on the rivers verge?
And as I sit and wonder what my moorhen thinks
Around me dance bright thistles of pink
A river ripple rides the collected current
Long green reeds exist with no need to repent
A family of mice not ever so nice
But look at that face, too cute not to embrace
So my precious moorhen, tell me what you know
There must be more to life than gluttony and sorrow
More to life than anger, pride and lust
Tell me please, it's such a must
My sweetheart moorhen don't swim the day
While I sit here wondering my life away
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