Poetry Friday is hosted today by Terry at http://family-bookshelf.org/
Insomnia can sometimes be a blessing ( all those wakeful hours lead to all sorts of "to - do's" getting done), and sometimes be a curse (all those wakeful hours leave one very tired). As an insomniac, I love finding poetry and writing about the topic. Perhaps it's just because there is a sense of instant companionship in their reading - aha, I can say, here's someone who gets it, who understands what it's like to wander the house in the early morning hours, knowing that sleep will not come. So, I was thrilled to come across a new poem for my collection by the contemporary English poet Sasha Dugdale:
Dawn Chorus
March 29, 2010
Every morning since the time changed
I have woken to the dawn chorus
And even before it sounded, I dreamed of it
Loud, unbelievably loud, shameless, raucous
And once I rose and twitched the curtains apart
Expecting the birds to be pressing in fright
Against the pane like passengers
But the garden was empty and it was night
Not a slither of light at the horizon
Still the birds were bawling through the mists
Terrible, invisible
A million small evangelists
How they sing: as if each had pecked up a smoldering coal
Their throats singed and swollen with song
In dissonance as befits the dark world
Where only travelers and the sleepless belong
Love this line--"A million small evangelists"!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful image of night. Thanks for introducing me to this poet. Wishing you rest and sleep.
ReplyDeleteI also love that line, "A million small evangelists!" I used to snooze right through the dawn chorus. Not so much anymore.
ReplyDeleteI love that opening line, it drew me right into the poem. I also like "twitched the curtains apart" and "the birds were bawling" - such great, specific words.
ReplyDeleteI hear that chorus of birds in the dark, not because I'm an insomniac, but because I'm an early riser. I look forward to mid-late February when I'm walking in the dark and I hear the first birds singing in the dark. Winter early morning walks are very quiet in terms of birdsong...
ReplyDeleteThank God for those prophetic birds calling us to a new day every day! Thanks for this poem.
ReplyDeleteThis poem should be left justified. Don't center every single poem. This poem deserves to be printed the way the author intended it to look on the page.
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