New Poem: Marginal Bunting

Celebrating National Poetry Month

Have you written a poem this week? If you could pick one moment from the past week to write a poem about, what would it be? Why not sit down and write a short poem about it? 

Here is another one of my first drafts -- or maybe it would be more accurate to say second draft writing, first draft poem. I have a notebook where I jot down ideas for poems to come back to later. Often it is just a title, or just one phrase. In this case, just a few weeks ago while we were in the last stubborn throes of winter, I was delighted by the rare sight of an indigo bunting outside the kitchen window. He was near the bird feeder, but not at the feeder. The experience was so delightful, I wanted to write about it. To make sure I didn't forget the moment, I jotted down some prose descriptions of the moment. Today I returned to my notes to use as a source for a new poem. As stated before, a first draft poem will change later, but this is how it looks today. 

Marginal Bunting

An Indigo Bunting stopped by today.

Glancing up at the window

From his perch near the ground,

We both gave a knowing nod.

While others crowded the feeder

He opted instead to forage about

Amongst old flower pots

Examining grasses

Brown and withered by winter.

He hopped about

Casting the occasional glance my way.

We communed for a moment –

Two souls preferring the margins over the center.

Activity increased

As fluttering sparrows,

A wide-eyed grackle,

And an interloping squirrel

Rushed in

To occupy the feeder.

Indigo quietly eased further out

With one last nod my way

As he headed

For the next

Marginal habitat.

                                    ~ Charles Kininaird




*