Perched in a tree, feeling free
As I perched in a cottonwood tree, feeling as free
as a bird who could fly, I thought I heard a flute
song far far from me—like smoke in the sky,
the melody went by. It seemed so close to me,
I could kiss the fingers of the one who played flute,
but alas, then, it went mute and I heard only the noise of a car!
It was far from me, but still, it jarred my bliss
in this peaceful spot that wasn’t cold nor was it hot.
It was until the car, pure bliss. Oh what a bitter pill
to lose the trill of the flute and the melodies of Bach,
traded for zoom, zoom, zoom of the car. And that car
was not far at all from my blissful state in the tree!
Jarring me, giving me jitters when moments ago
I felt only bliss and a kiss of the breeze that
carried the song of a mockingbird and a flute.
What glee! What bliss! To be so free! To close my eyes
to feel like a soft kiss the notes of the flute
and the birdsong! Until the car, smoke, and the noise
made it fly from me as I perched in this cottonwood tree!
Jacquelyn Markham 4/13/2024
Jacquelyn Markham, poet & writer, author of Rainbow Warrior, Finishing Line Press (2023), Peering Into the Iris: An Ancestral Journey and China Baby, among other titles.
And here’s the prompt for today’s poem:
Napowrimo.net: “our optional prompt for the day asks you to play with rhyme. Start by creating a “word bank” of ten simple words. They should only have one or two syllables apiece. Five should correspond to each of the five senses (i.e., one word that is a thing you can see, one word that is a type of sound, one word that is a thing you can taste, etc). Three more should be concrete nouns of whatever character you choose (i.e., “bridge,” “sun,” “airplane,” “cat”), and the last two should be verbs. Now, come up with rhymes for each of your ten words. (If you’re having trouble coming up with rhymes, the wonderful Rhymezone is at your service). Use your expanded word-bank, with rhymes, as the seeds for your poem. Your effort doesn’t actually have to rhyme in the sense of having each line end with a rhymed word, but try to use as much soundplay in your poem as possible.”
Poet Voice 