Sunday, February 19, 2006

Lapwing's Landing

Are you set for a landing
or a crash? A bird
never knows,
flying in defiance
of the laws
of aerodynamics.

Lava, lavender,
lapwing.
A temporal trinity
imparting life,
liberty, the pursuit of
unity.

Are you a seagull
seeking shelter, a vulture
circling doom, or a dove
bearing a reed
that announces
the end
of the deluge?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

a crash

Anonymous said...

Because I am a bird already my identity is set, so I can't answer your last question.

We titmice have it all over your poor gulls, vultures and doves.

Titmice forage from a high perch and change their survival strategies with the seasons, somethings human beings, particularly middle-aged women, might well consider.

Titmice are adaptable and can be taught to perform tricks, which are essential for survival in this insane world.

I think this is a beautiful and thought-provoking poem. It made me stop, wonder why I picked the name titmouse (big boobs aside). Probably because Gilbert and Sullivan's Mikado made an early indelible mark on my brain.

Humans would be wise to emulate titmice, which move about comfortably in mixed flocks. They seem to get along just fine with nuthatches, creepers, kinglets, and woodpeckers.

As for the first question, landing or crash? Neither. Just heading up to my high perch.

Anonymous said...

If a titmouse ( UNE mésange huppée) is mainly female, a lapwing ( UN vanneau huppé) is mainly male ( no surprise) .
I guess the lapwing here, since an urban man , never saw nor heard a real lapwing...
I am accustomed to them, on Summer ends of afternoons, when they gather and shout their nice song ( which looks like peewit or piouit in French) , I love them. Quite mysterious and both familiar.
To whom the poem was dedicated ?
G

Genevièev