Thursday, May 23, 2013

Birds

                                                                                Atrribution: Dick Daniels
Image: A Puerto Rican Tody
Source: Wikimedia Commons (here)

I have wished a bird would fly away,
And not sing by my house all day
Have clapped my hands at him from the door
When it seemed as if I could bear no more          
                                                                                         Robert Frost – A Minor Bird
I stood by the edge of the forest
In awe of the greatness of nature
The trees so close with branches racing to the sky
Vying for the sunlight in order to survive
Chirping of the birds hidden from view
Melodious in their bid for birds at play
To hear and to see  a yearning so desired
If only it could happen at that moment in time
In keeping with the warmth of the day
I have wished a bird would fly away

I had my rest when snug in the house
Leaving  nature’s best outside the four walls
For it could maintain the peace so radiant
I would rather not invite the forest in
With the crescendo of bird-songs all too loud
Which I sometimes found to my dismay
An invasion of sound with lots of confusion
In a way to cause much aversion
Creating a din by the forest was a better say
And not sing by my house all day

The neighborhood kids were often seen
In groups at the playground nearby
I had engaged them  engrossed 
But at times they were overly boisterous
They could be a nuisance to the neighbors
One particular lad often felt so sore
Getting bullied by others who were bigger
But who still thought he could fare better
Felt pity for him and called him over
Have clapped my hands at him from the door

Kids at play could be vicious
Where adults could play their part
To intervene at times where necessary
But sometimes things got unwittingly hard
Where neutral grounds were brought into play
Kids these days could have games galore
Where adults found themselves lost
Sadly no way adults could indulge in such
I found it to be also a chore and a bother
When it seem as if I could bear no more

Written for Sam's hosting at d'Verse Form For All : Paying Tribute, Page and The Glosa

The glosa is a Form from the late 14th century
and was popular in the Spanish court. The introduction,
the cabeza, is a quatrain quoting a well-known poem
or poet. The second part is the glosa proper,
expanding on the theme of the cabeza, consisting
of four ten-line stanzas, with the lines of the
cabeza used to conclude each stanza.
Lines six and nine must rhyme with the borrowed tenth.



17 comments:

  1. hank, fantastic job with this....particularly the imagery in that opening stanza...the trees...nice...love the compassion as well with that boy...kids (and adults at times) can be cruel...and it is good they have adults that will look out for and care for them...

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    1. Thanks Brian,
      Since the Bar is yet to be opened I based it on yours as well as Claudia's explanation. Glad it's ok

      Hank

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  2. Damn look at you go and quite the imagery and flow. Kids can be mean indeed, but good when there are adults around to make them take heed.

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  3. Wonderful description of those birds.. and how kids can be bad to each others. Adults are needed sometimes... good job on the form and excellent choice of poem to start from

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  4. I specially like the opening verse Hank following the poet for your muse ~ I agree that adults must take some action when we do see bullying around us ~ Children can be vicious, I rather keep the birds for company ~

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  5. Great sounds... the birds and children. They are similar, really.

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  6. very cool images in this hank and i really like that you helped the boy...and i agree...for kids as well as adults it's sometimes valuable if there's someone who helps them out if they get stuck in a fight

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  7. Love our little chirping friends - but sometimes the dawn chorus makes me think otherwise...

    Kids can be cruel and it is good when adults take the bullied child under their wing.

    Anna :o]

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  8. This poem flows and rhymes very well...I think you have mastered this form. Well done.

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  9. enjoyed this read a lot, Hank..
    especially the third stanza..i clap my hands and call the kid over too :)

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  10. Kudos not only for masterful use of the form, Hank, but your voice of reason reminds us that as poets, we cannot just observe this world, for we are of it, & in it.

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  11. It's so exciting to see where the quatrain goes and I like the active role with the boy.

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  12. Hank, you did it! And so well. I found this one of the more difficult forms. I enjoyed your take on Frost's lines.

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  13. ah, another admirer of Frost ;)
    wonderful work; so vivid and full of imagery. beautifully crafted.

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  14. The pragmatism with which you approach the issues is stunning, The poem ebbs and flows in mood beautifully, and I congratulate you.

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  15. Congratulations on successfully navigating this form, which I for one found difficult. http://passionatecrone.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/wanting-to-comfort-sylvia.html

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  16. Well done, Hank! First of all, you start with a wonderful cabeza from Robert Frost, one of his lesser-known poems, but a beautiful one that goes against our image of him as a lover of all nature... But then you expand on that theme and give it a twist, turn the forest into our neighborhood, the sound of birds into unruly children, expounded on the concept of sweet sanctuary. Wonderfully conceived, and wonderfully executed.

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