 |
| "Bobolink" © 2016 Jan Godown Annino |
THINK
Dear bird watcher,
Ah!
You saw a flash, pale yellow
I heard you – "What a pretty fellow"
Do not think me here for show
I face treacherous miles to go
While you watch me on this thistle
Think – he had to stop and wet his whistle
Think – what other creatures has he seen
Think – what is his perch when humans dream
Flash!
I lift my wings – I’ve seen seeds
After drink and rest it’s food I need
While wings beat steady steady again
Go write a poem, be my friend
I must fly,
Bob, traveling bobolink
© 2016 Jan Godown Annino. All rights reserved.
From Jan:
- Bob O’Lincoln is the call some birders attributed to this bird. Over a long time that name evolved to the lyrical way we say it today.
- A tagged bobolink once traveled 12,000 miles in migration.
- In a day a bobolink can fly up to 1,000 miles. Without a suitcase!
- Bobolinks like rice fields, to glean the grains, such as in Louisiana and South Carolina.
Sources: Cornell Ornithology Lab online, Wikipedia, my dictionary
A chirp of thanks for bobolink identification of this photo—which I took May 7, 2016 on our walk at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge—to my birding/writing pal, Ann Morrow. Two more thank you chirps, to Michelle/TLD and to poet Laura Shovan, for the persona poem prompt.
Laura Shovan has challenged us to write persona poems this month. Click
HERE
for more details. You don't need to include the artwork that inspired
your poem, but you are welcome to as long as I can properly attribute
the artist/photographer.
Send your poem to TodaysLittleDitty (at) gmail (dot) com, or use the
contact form in the sidebar to the right. All contributions will be
included in a wrap-up celebration on Friday, May 27th, and one lucky
participant will win a personalized copy of her fantastic new verse novel for middle grade readers:
