Of Bright and Blue Birds

Of Bright & Blue Birds & The Gala Sun

Some things, niño, some things are like this,
That instantly and in themselves are gay
And you and I are such things, O most miserable…

For a moment they are gay and are a part
Of an element, the exactest element for us,
In which we pronounce joy like a word of our own.

It is there, being imperfect, and with these things
And erudite in happiness, with nothing learned,
That we are joyously ourselves and we think

Without the labor of thought, in that element,
And we feel, in a way apart, for a moment, as if
There was a bright scienza outside of ourselves,

A gaiety that is being, not merely knowing,
The will to be and to be total in belief,
Provoking a laughter, an agreement, by surprise.

~ Wallace Stevens

This poem by Wallace Stevens had been my favorite for many years.  It came to me this week.  Maybe it was the mention of blue birds in the title or maybe something more.  Either way this week I've been thinking about birds. 

I hear them chattering when I walk or while I'm out in my garden.  I wonder what they're saying.  The redwing blackbirds and the crows seem to have quite a lot to say.  For all of this chatter I know so few of them by sound.  From my time in New Mexico I've learned to recognize the wing beats of hummingbirds and the call of sandhill cranes as they migrated along the Rio Grande.  Here in Wisconsin the familiar sounds are the seagulls and robins.  Cardinals, chickadees, and wrens nest nearby and I've come to know them as well.  Walking the path at work, a co-worker is teaching me to pick out the call of the catbird.  Yet there are so many more out there.

Oriole

I saw an oriole nest on the far edge of a nearby park, hanging from a large willow along the edge of marshy stream.  Now when I walk that path I hope to catch sight of one of the birds.  They visited the yard in New Mexico and one day I'll catch sight of them here  too.

Birds in flight. A seagull and bird of prey

I've always loved eagles, especially bald eagles.  They aren't an uncommon sight here.  They often show up at times when I am looking for answers.  Showing me a path, if I will only follow them.

Egrets

In  a previous job, I drove passed an egret nest every morning.  Each spring I would watched for their return.

Raven jacket I made many years ago

I love a bird's strong yet delicate wings, stretched out on currents, soaring over head, feathers looking like fingers raking the air. 

I have a small collection of feathers.  Plenty of turkey feathers, a blue jay, seagull, and even a tiny pink flamingo feather that I found at the zoo.