Blackbird Fly Away
by Shane Owen at deviantart
I heard an owl this morning
just before dawn,
and I thought of you,
all these decades gone:
waking to the doves'
gentle coo,
me amazed
at waking
next to you,
with your
dark blackbird heart,
so lovely
in my eyes,
soaring/captive Brother eagle,
both longing for
and fearful of
the skies.
Your beauty and your pain
held my heart fast,
fire and rain,
I thought would
for forever last,
a fire of passion
felt for no one other,
a rain of tears
when you could not
tell me:
"Stay,"
and so I
slowly turned
and walked away.
"No easy answers,"
was what you always told me ,
with your so-easy smile,
and those compelling eyes.
There was an easy answer,
but you could not say the words.
You could not choose just one sparrow,
with the sky so full of birds.
We set the doves free
when I left.
Blackbird was playing
on the stereo.
I loved you then,
and love you still,
though you may
never know.
I have remained,
this lifetime,
a solitary dove.
The answer was,
Brother Dreamer,
then and always,
only ever Love.
Sometimes the simplest answer carries the most pain.
ReplyDeleteI love the way you carried the metaphor of the birds: dove, blackbird and sparrows through this piece.
And what antidote is there on this earth for the love of a dark blackbird heart?
I love the metaphor that you chose to express your emotion through, Sherry. Such beauty in this winged poem of love lost. Heartbreaking. ♥
ReplyDeleteBeautiful work with the rhymes, Sherry. I just really love this.
ReplyDeleteA beautiful poem, Sherry....and a fine recollection of a former love. Sometimes things aren't meant to be...but one can still love.
ReplyDeleteThis is heartbreaking, Sherry. But real, and true.
ReplyDeleteGuess we all know the pain of a broken heart. This captured that pain and at the same time it had a feeling of resignation, a wisdom of knowing the lover could not be with just one. Good writing here Sherry. Hope the wounds have healed.
ReplyDeleteSherry,
ReplyDeleteYour poems always reflect such deep emotions and spirituality of nature and the universe. It is always gratifying to read you work. I could sense loneliness in the solo flight..Brother dreamer then and always..this is so deep.
This hit so close to my heart I flinched reading it ... incredible writing, Sherry.
ReplyDeleteCertainly no easy answers when one dear to one's heart is involved. Great write Sherry!
ReplyDeleteHank
smiles...that is the only answer that ever really means anything you know...it is a choice though...and we can not make it for them, otherwise what it becomes is no more than that caged bird....nice sherry
ReplyDeleteSounds and smells carry such emotive power - good and bad. A really moving write.
ReplyDeleteI think this is one of your best, Sherry. The bird motif is perfect and the feeling of love and loss is so palpable.
ReplyDeleteSuch a beautiful piece in its sadness...that feels/sounds like an oxymoron, but yet it is so. One of my favorites of yours Sherry.
ReplyDeleteBeautifully written and very moving. Loved it.
ReplyDeleteSherry, I so like your opening lines-- "I heard an owl this morning
ReplyDeletejust before dawn,
and I thought of you,"--So often, it is a little sound or scent that brings back memories of loss. Wonderful words! :)
"You could not choose just one sparrow,
ReplyDeletewith the sky so full of birds."
poignant and wise ~ M
Memories can come unbidden, and break the hearts we thought were healed.
ReplyDeleteBetter to have loved and lost? I don't think so, not always.
Well done, my friend, well done.
K
I echo every ones thoughts on this piece.
ReplyDeleteAlmost disquieting is this heartfelt emptiness...as a single solitary dove sits cooing.
One of my favorites, mi amiga
This is beautiful! A sky full of birds, hopefully we can find the perfect one meant for us.
ReplyDeleteoh, Sherry, i love this glimpse, and especially the gorgeous way you've penned it, the birds. Blackbird playing on the stereo. I love this.
ReplyDeleteOh Sherry-you painted such a delicate view of those roosters in life that can't choose. They leave our hearts exposed for all to see. I love how you used birds here and shared your loss. Sometimes we win, when we lose. We just don't see it at the time~ Beautifully written!
ReplyDeleteMuch has already been said in your comments, but Sherry, this is intensely personal stuff, and you are brave to share it. I find the idea that "Blackbird" playing on the stereo (that machine itself gives a sense of time...) most affecting. this tore me up. Excellent writing, my sister. Love, Amy (who is still uinpacking, but some things MUST be done!)
ReplyDeleteEvery now and then, you come up with a poem that just knocks me off the dock and into the deep water. This is superb, really really emotionally sharp and affecting and well written. I'm flattered that you linked this to my challenge.
ReplyDeleteWhat an incredibly beautiful poem...filled with such meaning and heartache. Lovely!
ReplyDeleteMy God! This poem makes me feel so sad... it reminds me of someone in my past...
ReplyDelete"There was an easy answer,
but you could not say the words.
You could not choose just one sparrow,
with the sky so full of birds."
I love this part....
thanks for the wonderful poem dear :)
i read this, then read it aloud to alecia. what a moving, rich poem. this brims with wisdom and red throbbing heart. so beautiful... honestly, i read it the first time last night and was blown away, was looking forward to reading it again fresh this morning:) thank you
ReplyDelete'dark blackbird heart', what powerful imagery, Sherry. I liked this very much. :-)
ReplyDelete