To the 4:00 a.m. song bird –
Yes, I hear you in the background of a dream
Your music; the alarm waking the night,
Sending the darkness away

To the 8:00 a.m. shimmery, blue-head Grackle –
The young mouths are waiting in the nest entwined by burgundy blooms of clematis “Niobe”
You frantically dash from tree to tree – shrieking at any sign of danger
Ambitiously tugging into the ground to find morsels of strength to stuff into tiny, hungry beaks

To the 1:00 p.m Mourning Doves –
You dance together on decayed tree limbs – oblivious to the world below
You are coy whilst displaying your affection
Your song is melodic and soothing

To the 5:00 p.m. Cardinal –
Your red feathers illuminate in the late afternoon sun
You sing to your lady,
She hears you –
She sings back to you; her song of admiration
You feel proud

To the Red-Wing Blackbirds, Chickadees ,Robins, Sparrows and Swallows –

“Sing, sing a song, sing  out loud, sing out strong”

It is now dusk and the symphony of songbirds is the music of the sky
I am the audience
I am elated

At 10:00 p.m ; the sky is deafly silent.

The glow of the full moon sets the stage for the next performance.

 

Words and Photography by Ann Ivy Male