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At my feeder
starlings flutter, peck, push,
suddenly lift off
in a jumble of tilted wings.
Meanwhile, the poplar
releases its seeds,
surrounded by white fluff.
They float in slow, erratic flights.
Updrafts catch some,
lift them toward the morning sun.
Others drift in horizontal lines
like canoes dawdling on a quiet river.
Eventually they descend,
accumulate on my lawn,
soft as a clutch of down.
A starling all my life,
I jostle for a turn at the tray.
I’d rather be a puff
and drop not knowing
whether wind will spin or cradle me,
trusting in the mystery
that beckons me below.
© by Peggy Turnbull.
Used with the author’s permission.
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Peggy Turnbull lives in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, the place of her birth. A former librarian, she enjoys her local public library, watching the Star Trek episodes she missed when her son was young, exploring local parks and trails, and singing in a community chorus. Peggy’s micro-chapbook, Rocking Chair Abstract, was published by the Origami Poems Project. Read more of her poetry at https://peggyturnbull.blogspot.com/.
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Lori Levy:
Great images. Beautiful poem!
Posted 05/03/2020 03:06 PM
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KevinArnold:
? A starling all my life,/I jostle for a turn at the tray? is quite the couplet.
Posted 05/03/2020 11:25 AM
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Sharon Waller Knutson:
I love this poem reminding us of the quiet and loud noises of nature. We hear the murmuring of the dove and the squawking of crows in the daytime and the whispering of the owls and serenading of the Sonora toad in the evening.
Posted 05/03/2020 10:29 AM
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peninsulapoet:
I love the way the poem turns at the end to the personal. Wisconsin births some wonderful poets. <3
Posted 05/03/2020 09:48 AM
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cork:
I often feel like a "dawdling canoe.'
Posted 05/03/2020 08:55 AM
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michael escoubas:
Truly outstanding Peggy! Did the quietude of the library help in the composition of this masterpiece?
Posted 05/03/2020 08:52 AM
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Gilbert Allen:
Yes--and the "clutch of down" helps to make that transformation more convincing.
Posted 05/03/2020 07:11 AM
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Larry Schug:
A skillful path to the nugget of the poem;
I'm impressed with how you transform the poem with the excellent line "a starling all my life".
Posted 05/03/2020 06:33 AM
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