golden evening light - even the herring gull looks noble
previously published in Haiku Scotland (possibly also previously posted here, but hey, here it is again!). You can see another herring gull haiku of mine here.
To make a conversation on herring gulls, one of my poems on them, many as you can imagine live in my area, in Venice; sorry if it's not so short:
HERRING GULL ( or Van Gogh at his waking )
Its cackling at dawn is an axe that cuts you from the last scrap of a dream. The blue blade through the shutter is a severe awakening. In a flash you take in the drop of red on its yellow beak and its eye staring in the early sky. Gone is the root of your being, the stalk you grabbed in the night field, the jagged hem of the flower that made perfect sense. The cackling grows into a volley and asks for another grabbing, the luminous and bitter jagged edge of the start, the day in an unquenchable thirst and your dread of its hanging openness. Now the cackling harbours in the throbs of a vast howl, you hear even the steeples nodding, the whole air getting stung, the day’s shore coming forward with a blue hunger. It’s time. You stare at a beam of sunlight on the ceiling and are gripped by the furrows of the moment ruthlessly blooming, memory and desire staring in a lingering gust, you hear the howl spreading and blending with the nearing sea of May light, a countenance that wants to overlap. You get up.
__Soooo many Herring Gulls here, and such a society they maintain... that elite nobility, to a super-market, parking lot tramp. I love 'em. __They linger, wherever some sort of food can be found.
parking lot these herring gulls clamor donut shop _m
In this evening's golden light we had four Reddish Egrets stop for awhile in a fallen tree beside the river--lovely! Your verses make me see more deeply. -kay
I suppose a herring gull always looks noble to another herring gull.
ReplyDeleteOr maybe they just don't give a damn.
This catches the transforming power of light very well.
To make a conversation on herring gulls, one of my poems on them, many as you can imagine live in my area, in Venice; sorry if it's not so short:
ReplyDeleteHERRING GULL
( or Van Gogh at his waking )
Its cackling at dawn is an axe
that cuts you
from the last scrap of a dream.
The blue blade through the shutter
is a severe awakening.
In a flash you take in
the drop of red on its yellow beak
and its eye staring in the early sky.
Gone is the root of your being,
the stalk you grabbed in the night field,
the jagged hem of the flower
that made perfect sense.
The cackling grows into a volley
and asks for another grabbing,
the luminous and bitter
jagged edge of the start,
the day in an unquenchable thirst
and your dread of its hanging openness.
Now the cackling harbours
in the throbs of a vast howl,
you hear even the steeples nodding,
the whole air getting stung,
the day’s shore coming forward
with a blue hunger.
It’s time. You stare at a beam
of sunlight on the ceiling
and are gripped by the furrows of the moment
ruthlessly blooming, memory and desire
staring in a lingering gust,
you hear the howl spreading
and blending with the nearing
sea of May light, a countenance
that wants to overlap.
You get up.
Maybe, I am not a fan of gulls. I like the poem, though.
ReplyDeleteLove it. I don't know herring gulls, but I find gulls fairly noble looking.
ReplyDelete__Soooo many Herring Gulls here, and such a society they maintain...
ReplyDeletethat elite nobility, to a super-market, parking lot tramp. I love 'em.
__They linger, wherever some sort of food can be found.
parking lot
these herring gulls clamor
donut shop
_m
Despite the Herring gull controversy a lovely point has been revealed. Like the new banner too.....
ReplyDeletegolden evening light can illuminate nature in a positive light, can't it? wonderful ku. have a great day.
ReplyDeleteIn this evening's golden light we had four Reddish Egrets stop for awhile in a fallen tree beside the river--lovely! Your verses make me see more deeply.
ReplyDelete-kay
against grey skies
ReplyDeletethe gulls shining
like gods