Sunday 24 June 2018

Starlings



There, outside, starlings squawk
squeaking squabbling
fighting over suet balls – posturing,
peck-peck-peck-pecking.
Wings flutter,    then flapping beating,
feet outstretched, threatening threatening.
Battles quickly won, winners’
peck-peck-peck at (suet) prizes,
losers peckng scattered titbits - 
‘til the next war, (in moments moments,)
then they’ll squawk and fight again

Here, inside, we squabble
over little things, the minutiae, the meaningless,
as if our sorry lives depended on it. 
Posturing, chins jutted out,
teeth bared; lips curled & snarled,
we lace into one another,
venom in our screeching voices.

You win this time, even if by default –
I’ll no longer, can’t be bothered
to play this losing game, this silly blaming game,
where (somehow) you believe
I’m the driver in your sorry stupid life.

You preen like some vain cock,
cock-a-hoop over shallow victory,
smile smirking across your stupid face. 
Whilst I, defeated by the pain the chore of it,
seethe so strongly deep inside, &
mutter silent words in venom breaths.

Outside, now, all starlings gone,
two wood-pigeons coo and woo,
he follows her across the lawn,
tries to mount and with a flap of wings
she flies away, he follows her,
pursues his love…

I wish I could fly away but I’m still here
squawking screeching deep inside,
seething, spitting silent venom
whilst putting out new suet balls. 

Anna o]

Inspired by watching the birds in my garden, the human bit is pure fiction.  

Shared with the good folk at Poets United, hosted by Mary, cheers Mary!

Video courtesy of YouTube

16 comments:

Donna@LivingFromHappiness said...

Amazing how nature can inspire us and make us think about life lessons.....your poem is a wonderful example!

Sherry Blue Sky said...

I LOVE this poem. I cant resist a poem about birds, and you describ them so well I can see them. Love the description of the person too, thankfully fictional, who is suffering in her situation. I like that she "cant be bothered to play this losing game". One must withdrew from such situations, to preserve one's own peace. I resonate with this poem greatly.

brudberg said...

The image of birds squabbling can be so very human (glad it was fiction)... we mostly have blackbirds singing, wonder how that would be with humans..

C. Sandlin said...

I enjoyed the way the narrator took the birds' arguments and then amplified it--it was an unnerving poem.

Sanaa Rizvi said...

Nature has a way to make us contemplate life and learn lessons.. beautifully profound write!

ZQ said...

Geesh! I hope you can fly with them next time around. Interesting and a wonderful reading, for me.
ZQ

Gillena Cox said...

Wow this is truly awesome. How nature's
Insiration jusg captivated your creativity.
Thanks for dropping by my Sunday Standard today Anna

Much💞love

Thotpurge said...

I hope the narrator grows wings and flies away...

Dr. Vandana Sharma said...

My thoughts resonate with Thotpurge

kaykuala said...

I wish I could fly away but I’m still here
squawking screeching deep inside

Something to be said of the strength and advantage of having wings!

Hank

annell4 said...

It may be fiction, but oh how true it seems! A wonderful write!!

Colleen Looseleaf said...

This reminds me of my first marriage. The inner and outer converge. There are messages everywhere.

Gillena Cox said...

Monday Writes 160 is live. I invite you to link in today and every Monday

much love...

Mary said...

This is absolutely priceless!!! Birds squabble. Humans squabble. There are similarities. Somehow I think birds are able to forgive and forget quicker than their human counterparts.

Susie Clevenger said...

Yes, we need to sit at the feet of nature and learn.

Rosemary Nissen-Wade said...

I'm glad the human bit is fictional – at least as applied to you! But you've observed and captured it well in terms of (some) human behaviour.