Monday Morning Wake-Up Call: Begin

~ Live & Learn

flames are the feathers of this bird
but I’m not calling the fire brigade
—life burns life

this is a particular bird
whose flame is multitudinous red
with flamboyant nuance:
high-frequency colorwheels thrown in
and well-played purple notes of a bass line
in its wings

—but “multitudinous” fails to tell the tale
of this bonfire bird,
a bird blown by algorithmic winds
at the keystrokes of a friend
lands blazing on my screen and sits
—this birdblaze with redgold beak
sharper than human wit

what do you say when a thing like this comes to light
which exceeds sunshine acid visions?
makes them lame

how to state the spectral luxury of this bird,
to see it, out on a limb, its satiating color
which some pure mind has wrought?

I could say, “Rufous-Backed Kingfisher”
or “Ceyx rufidorsa”

but how to really say it?
how to paint it?
how to see it?
how to hold it in mind’s eye?

don’t try, begin

~ Jim Culleny, “Begin” in 3 Quarks Daily

Notes: Photo – ACJC.S with Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher. Poem: 3QuarksDaily

41 thoughts on “Monday Morning Wake-Up Call: Begin”

          1. Its a favorite book of mine. It appears first in the chapter titled The Sermon:
            “Then God spake unto the fish; and from the shuddering cold and blackness of the sea, the whale came breeching up towards the warm and pleasant sun, and all the delights of air and earth; and ‘vomited out Jonah upon the dry land;’ when the word of the Lord came a second time; and Jonah, bruised and beaten—his ears, like two sea-shells, still multitudinously murmuring of the ocean—Jonah did the Almighty’s bidding. And what was that, shipmates? To preach the Truth to the face of Falsehood!”
            Great chapter!

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  11. Saw Kingfisher birds in South Devon, England. They are AMAZING creatures. They also give us back some hope that maybe, just maybe, we ARE able to save some of the nature mankind is so adept to kill off.

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      1. I’m so sorry, I’m (sadly?) somebody who is always seeing all the sides. The beauty however is that it makes me, over all, a happier person because there is always and still SO MUCH to love, admire, appreciate, IF you can see it.
        Now I go and polish your halo….. Look how bright it has become once more!

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  13. Such beauty in flight!!! Your word and photo pairing always so perfect…Had an early snow this morning and the many varieties of birds gathered in our bountiful natural feeding grounds…they do this daily and they know that generation after generation they are taught that our garden is bountiful with dependable food source ///My love of birds, started as a young child…climbing trees to look in nest…chasing robins with a salt shaker in hand… I was told if I salted a robins tail it would be mine! ah, the innocence – I was always watching birds…they live in true freedom…when we were first married for entertainment we hiked, camped & flew over a lot of white water sometime the boys would let me out on the bank cause the thrill seeking would get too dangerous – all activities we could within minutes out our door along with a little gas money…We usually ended our weekend going to the community center Sunday evening, to watch slideshows of an older man shared, he was a birder like us…we learned a lot by watching his slides and listening, gaining from his knowledge, he was a good narrator…and then just yesterday experienced a real thrill…I’ll send an email about that!

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  17. Even the beautiful bird is a red head! 🙂 I’ve asked before what is your Spirit Bird this year? Wouldn’t surprise me if you selected a Red Cardinal !

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