[image by Amber Burnette at avianimages.blogspot.com]
Young woodpecker,
pecking so hard
on the
telephone pole,
you remind me
of myself.
There's a nice,
soft-barked
tree,
full of
succulent bugs,
right beside you,
while you
bend your beak,
pecking fruitlessly
at that
unyielding,
un-nourishing
wood.
Move over,
little bird.
Try an
easier path.
Trust me,
you'll feel
much better,
once
you do.
hi - i love the way this poem starts - it catches interest right away. My only critique is that after the second stanza, you added one more stanza that fleshes out a little why you relate to "pounding your head against a wall" as it were - then when you move into end, where you give the little bird your lesson - you've really demonstrated to the reader that you've earned the right to give this important lesson. Well done!
ReplyDeleteGood message here, Sherry. So often we spend our time and energy on hardwood rather than moving to the easier yet more fruitful place. Sometimes we just need to turn our heads.
ReplyDeleteGreat advice for all of us, Sherry...I often think my own pecking at life is fruitless...LOL! It's true that many choose to take roads they know instead of forging new ones, when the road that veers off on its own might actually be the easiest.
ReplyDeleteI love the photo you chose, too. We get teeny little red-headed woodpeckers at our suet cage every day. Some of them are barely bigger than the finches, and are just a delight to watch...:)
I just love the message in this amazing piece Sherry....so many times we struggle to get what we feel we need, when the answer is so simple and right before our eyes. Hope you have a wonderful weekend! :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks, kids. This life wisdom came along with a permently dented forehead, from decades of banging my head against hard surfaces!!!! Too late, smart:)
ReplyDeleteThat is permanently.
ReplyDeleteI guess we don't learn that bit of wisdom without some beak-bending experience.
ReplyDeleteAmen!
ReplyDeleteYeah, but there's a lot more satisfaction in getting to the tasty little morsel hiding in the hardwood. At least that's what I tell myself... ;-)
ReplyDeleteThat is just so wonderful Sherry, I love it! ;-)
ReplyDeleteWelcome wisdom!
How lovely, Sherry, such a picture of futile determination to abide by the wrong choice.
ReplyDeleteoh sherry i just love this one. love. love that pileated (right?) and love your reminder. yes indeed, why is it so hard to see that we are smacking our heads against a wall? just step aside! thanks.
ReplyDeleteI have been listening to this little guy, likely a youngster, pecking away all week at telephone poles and even sometimes on metal.........his mama must not have taught him to DIFFERENTIATE :) Finally these words came, as much to myself as to him!
ReplyDeleteI love the message in this, Sherry. Poor little bird:(
ReplyDeletePamela
This is such a meaningful metaphor for some of life's problems,Sherry. So easy to see it for what it is through your words.
ReplyDeletehttp://judyidliketosay.blogspot.com/2010/11/permission-granted.html
Oh my - I really like the way you capture how we also peck away at unyielding problems. Simple, clear and very powerful observation, beautifully expressed.
ReplyDeleteSherry,
ReplyDeleteI love this poem for the cute little bird alone!
The message within, is so true. I don't know why, I like to take the hard path in life, quite often too!!
Best Regards, Eileen
love it, cute imagery.
ReplyDeleteWhen will we learn. I'm a woodpecker far too often.
ReplyDeleteI feel like that woodpecker sometimes oooh my head hurts....
ReplyDelete