“As I Sit In Heaven” & The Video Song : Link Given HERE In BELOW
* As I Sit In Heaven ” : : Hazel Birdsall : Written in 2008 for her Sister. The Poem’s words from a deceased person are the heartfelt wishes to send a message to those who have stayed back . The poem can ease the pain of the people who lose their loved ones. The people who have gone want to send a sign that they are always here, caring and watching for what is left of those who are still alive.. : Feel like , There has never been a separation ; No boundary between heaven and the mortal world. : Normallypeoplego in to the denial , Anger, Depression even Assuming bargain, etc. Apart from Acceptance. Afterwards, some indulge in memorials , prayers, gathering the left over by a departed soul , donations after such memories , and face the emotions. Talking with someone sharing , etc. Happens which might be helpful. Cardinals, or Hummingbirds or Butterfly or Family photos in Canvas / printables or in beautiful frames would be a great and good. : : : :
“As I Sit In Heaven And watch you everyday, I try to let you know with signs I never went away. I hear you when you’re laughing, And watch you as you sleep. I even place my arms around you To calm you as you weep. I see you wish the days away, Begging to have me home.. . “: : The aforesaid poem Written By Hazel Birdsall has been used to comfort people all over the world, It is used for the sacred services , in Church , during the funerals commemoration and memorials and for remembering at home gathering :: : : CLICK HERE In BELOW to listen to the You Tube Video Song By Terry Moris https://youtu.be/evRAWqi2Isg?si=NW-ct79_psxKWcPs
* * I Made it Home : :
“As long as they come, To brighten up my day And bring me some joy, To continue on my way” ( “The Cardinals’ Song” by Emily G. Seberger ) ; : : : : : : : : : : : : “All I do to the bird is smile on this Sunday, Because I see that my daughter is not flying away.” ( “Red Cardinal” by Madeleine C. Jones ) : : “The Cardinal sits upon the branch. He does not know which way to glance. He only knows that God above Is looking down in deepest love. I look to you dear God above And pray for your redeeming love, To guide me through my nights and days, And flight my fleeting fears away! “( “The Cardinal” by Pam Waters Carson ) : : : : : ; : : : : “I saw a cardinal in my tree, the bright red color so beautiful to see. thoughts of loved ones brought a smile to my face, as I watched it flitter about with grace. Visitors from Heaven they are said to be, I feel blessed that you came to see me.” ( Unknown ) : : : :
* * * “December Notes” : : by Nancy McCleery The backyard is one white sheet Where we read in the bird tracks
The songs we hear. Delicate Sparrow, heavier cardinal,
Filigree threads of chickadee. And wing patterns where one flew (Excerpt from “December Notes”)
Red Bird The Cardinal Trying to Come Over the Dark Places and Awaiting For God’s Watch, His Angelic Guidance and Instructions and Development. MARY CHRISTMAS AndHAPPY NEW YEAR’s Spiritual Lights “I Will Try”, By Mary Oliver : : “Staring at the light in the tree With a Rich lense of Attention” ( From Mary Oliver’s Quote )
I will try. I will step from the house to see what I see and hear and I will praise it. I did not come into this world to be comforted. I came, like red bird, to sing. But I’m not red bird, with his head-mop of flame and the red triangle of his mouth full of tongue and whistles, but a woman whose love has vanished, who thinks now, too much, of roots and the dark places where everything is simply holding on. But this too, I believe, is a place where God is keeping watch until we rise, and step forth again and – but wait. Be still. Listen! Is it red bird? Or something inside myself, singing?
–Mary Oliver
“I Will Try”, A Bird Poem By Mary Oliver is About The Red -Bird, The cardinal who or something similar for him which The Poet Speaker has identified, as being “existent inside her “self” is singing, and About the impelling urge to rise ahead, to step forth of the house, for a praiseworthy living in the natural world to sing like a Red -Bird. She is determined to “try to see” the beauty through the darkness inspite of her ( “now vanished” ) , that is, non – existent 💕 love. ( In the state of 💔 broken-hearted sadness ), she believes that she is in a place where God is keeping watch over the dark until she succeeds to rise, and step forth again. Because, she “did not come into this World to be comforted.”: The Red Bird lays bare a grief over one beloved person who has been”vanished”: Yet, The red Bird signals with his head-mop of flame and the red triangle of his mouth full of tongue and whistles , calling all living beings to come over ( even in winter ❄️ to life ). : : The Poet Speaker too hears it. Although she knows that she is not red -Bird She has determination inside herself to be like a red -Bird to sing. Her “roots , thinking , living in dark places , and everything is holding on “: Meaning, stops her and she has to wait as if awaiting further “watch” of God, His guidance or instruction and development.::::
In the midst of the aforesaid spiritual contemplations, The Poet Speaker awaiting with stillness, asks us to listen ! So as her conscience listens !! ” Is it Red -Bird ? Or something inside 💠 myself”, ( herself / yourself ) singing ? 💠 Holly 😇 💠 😇 💠 😇 Angel / Spirit / Red -Bird, The Cardinal ♥️♥️
“I Will Try”, A Bird Poem By Mary Oliver Information Appreciation and poem Analysis Presented by V Jayaraj Pune India December 28, 2023 : : ; ; ; : : :
Hum Historical / Alamy Stock Photo : : Alfred Noyes 1880 – 1958 ) Noyes most often exhibited a style infused with Romanticism and ballad-like simplicity, and his subject matter was usually optimistic and inspired by the natural beauties of the world. Noyes revered the polite formality of traditional English verse and despised the haphazardness and comparative literary disrespect of the modernist movement of the 20th century—especially the work of James Joyce— Noyes secured a place at Oxford University in 1898, though he left before earning his degree. Nonetheless, his first collection of poetry, The Loom of Years (1902), was published when he was only 21 years old, and received compliments from esteemed poets such as George Meredith and William Butler Yeats. Noyes married Garnett Daniels in 1907, and the couple lived off his royalty checks. That same year they visited the United States for the first time, and were entertained by such impressive company as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s daughters and Ralph Waldo Emerson’s sons. Noyes enjoyed notable relationships throughout his life, apparently drinking tea with Theodore Roosevelt in 1919 just hours before his death and meeting privately with premier Benito Mussolini in 1939, just before the start of World War II. : : By the age of 30, Noyes had firmly established himself as the most commercially popular poet of his time. According to Margaret B. McDowell in the Dictionary of Literary Biography, he had “produced his first biography, William Morris (1908), and had collected his poems in eight full-length books. in both Britain and the United States. … Thousands of readers bought Noyes’s books of poems, cherished them, and even memorized parts of them. : ; His Three most noticeable works were : The First one Drake: An English Epic (1906–08), the second, “The Highwayman,” The third most-frequently cited work is a three-volume work called The Torch-Bearers (1922, 1925, and 1930), which was inspired after a visit in 1917 to a new telescope being installed at Mount Wilson, California. ( This trilogy was Noyes’s attempt to reconcile science and religion, as it pays homage to progress in astronomy, biology, and other scientific advancements, as well as the theological and philosophical development of the human race. the third volume, The Last Voyage, as reflecting “the intensity of Noyes’s theological search for one’s destiny after life on earth and his increased preoccupation with religion ) : ; William Lyon Phelps, writing in The Advance of English Poetry in the Twentieth Century, referred to Noyes as “one of the most melodious of modern writers, with a witchery in words that at its best is irresistible. … [H]e has the imagination of the inspired poet, giving him creative power to reveal anew the majesty of the untamed sea, and the mystery of the stars.” : ; Noyes’s autobiography, Two Worlds for Memory, was published in 1953. He died on the Isle of Wight on June 25, 1958.
The Old Meeting House : : By Alfred Noyes (new jersey, 1918)
Its quiet graves were made for peace till Gabriel blows his horn. Those wise old elms could hear no cry Of all that distant agony— Only the red-winged blackbird, and the rustle of thick ripe corn.
The blue jay, perched upon that bronze, with bright unweeting eye Could never read the names that signed The noblest charter of mankind; But all of them were names we knew beneath our English skies.
And on the low gray headstones, with their crumbling weather-stains, —Though cardinal birds, like drops of blood, Flickered across the haunted wood,— The names you’d see were names that woke like flowers in English lanes
John Applegate was fast asleep; and Temperance Olden, too. And David Worth had quite forgot If Hannah’s lips were red or not; And Prudence veiled her eyes at last, as Prudence ought to do.
And when, across that patch of heaven, that small blue leaf-edged space At times, a droning airplane went, No flicker of astonishment Could lift the heavy eyelids on one gossip’s upturned face.
For William Speakman could not tell—so thick the grasses grow— If that strange humming in the sky Meant that the Judgment Day were nigh, Or if ’twere but the summer bees that blundered to and fro.
And then, across the breathless wood, a Bell began to sound, The only Bell that wakes the dead, And Stockton Signer raised his head, And called to all the deacons in the ancient burial-ground.
“The Bell, the Bell is ringing! Give me back my rusty sword. Though I thought the wars were done, Though I thought our peace was won, Yet I signed the Declaration, and the dead must keep their word.
“There’s only one great ghost I know could make that ’larum ring. It’s the captain that we knew In the ancient buff and blue, It’s our Englishman, George Washington, who fought the German king!”
So the sunset saw them mustering beneath their brooding boughs, Ancient shadows of our sires, Kindling with the ancient fires, While the old cracked Bell to southward shook the shadowy meeting house. — Alfred Noyes Source: Collected Poems (1947)
” The Old Meeting House”,A Bird Poem By Alfred Noyes ( 1880 – 1958 ) is About the mysterious nature among the birds. . The red caps on this Red Bird resemble the garments of the Roman Catholic Bishops. Hence they were named The Cardinal. The Europeans who settled first in Northern America believed that ,“Cardinals appear when Angels are near” : Although this poem doesn’t present the birds as the gentle reminder of those who have passed away , it does link the cardinal to the spirit world. Whether the cardinal is a messenger from the spirit world or not , they are State Bird of 7 States Of United States. Theydeserve a special place and respectful care. : : : :
Notes for each of the Stanzas Pending visit this post again later on to enjoy the appreciation of the poem V Jayaraj Pune India December 27, 2023 : : : :
” Cardinals” By John Jackson : Source : From poetryfoundation.org
“Cardinals “, Published in Poetry Magazine Of Verse , October , 1993 issue, A Bird Poem By John Jacksonis About A ‘pair of cardinals’, perhaps a couple in the same nest. He denotes the male cardinal’s beauty and strength and the female cardinal’s long patience , gentleness ( somberness ) and practical nature. Here the cardinals are symbols of patience, love, strength, beauty, and gentleness. He is a unconcealed roaring boy ; whereas she is “love’s discipline”. : : : :
Stanza 1 : : “She is brown and rose, like pears in October; 1 He is red as any ribbon on a wreath. 2 She provides, is practical and sober;3 He is ceremony without belief”4: :lines 1 To 4: : : :
About difference between male and female Cardinal Viz. Colour ( brown / rose , like pears in October for female against male’s red “as any ribbon on wreath” / circular band on ornamental flowers ) and Approach prefered distinctly by them. The female is a provider , practical and sober in approach ; whereas the male observes proper and conventional performance in manner of keeping commitment “without belief”: withoutimpressions or fanciful notion. : : : :
Stanza 2 : : ” Where she stays she vanishes, so when she sings 5 It comes at once from nowhere and all sides. 6 He is the source and center of everything 7 (The one bird all of us can recognize).” 8 : : lines 5 To 8 : : : :
About Singing by the Pair of Cardinals. The female sings from nowhere and all sides as one may not notice her because she definitely sings when she stays , most of the time in her brooding / nest or at places around it.. By singing as part of her nesting behaviour, she protects her eggs from any intruder or while nourishing young ones. Say , it is for defending her territory. The observation here is, “Where she stays she vanishes, so when she sings ” 5 : Hence The female Cardinal is unnoticeable ; whereas maleCardinalis the “source and center of everything”7 : Hence , recognizable. : : : :
Stanza 3 : : ” Suppose you had to describe her; a song addressed 9 From out of the ground or middle of a tree; 10 Feathers several colors in one breath 11 (More subtle than her mate could ever be)” 12 : : lines 9 To 12 : : :
About The female Cardinal’s song that is “addressed more subtly than her mate” , that is, more artful and perceptive in the sense more penetrative and piercing , perhaps requiring sharp understanding. : : : :
Stanzas 4 & 5 : : ”
lines 13 To 16 & 17 To 20
About The Pair of Cardinals , their common songs as “clean” ( that is, pure, thorough and sporty ) and “quick” ( warm, ready/fast and responsive ) / “As a blade that makes a pile of shavings” ( here , large number of tuneful songs ) : The Poet Speaker has explained the aforesaid “shavings”, “several” , that is, in large numbers “leaping from the stick” ( lines 13 To 15 ) Meaning , their several songs which are continuously tuned and hence readily available at “the sticks”/ at their broods/ nests bounce to remain visiting. The Poet Speaker thinks that “It is hard to imagine how these two ( pairs of Cardinals ) behaving”( line 16 ) / “As they do, could make their common cause,” ( line 17 ), that is, not easy to comprehend how the pair of Cardinals , the male and female so different from one another associate together to cause the happening in / “Agree(ment) to one song as their epithet”,( line 18 ) / expression ( not in words ) of musical passage , that is, the tuneful song. : :
It is not easy to believe that they would be intimate in agreeing to / “sleep with one another’s flaws,:”( line 19 ) : These flaws are in terms of their weaknesses or marks ❣️‼️ that could spoil the appearance of what he or she wants intuitively of their combined creations. The Speaker has named these flaws : “He ( is ) the blatant / unconcealed roaring boy ( very lively and prosperous ( marked by peace , success and prosperity ) in scarlet” red Bird ( line 20 ) / The hale-fellow ( Hale and hearty : healthy and vigorous / flying high ) no season can deter ( can’t be prevented or discouraged in any time ) ; ( line 21 ) / ( But ) She ( is ) an emblem ( representative of quality ) of the feminine ( befitting a mature woman of quality ) ; ( line 22 ) / Because to see all that there is in her / takes long patience and / Which is love’s discipline ( lines 23 & 24 ) : : The female cardinal is an emblem / quality symbol of a mature woman ♀️ 👠 having long patience , gentleness ( somberness ) and practical nature. Her routine conduct or behaviour and practice of living is what can be called 💕 “love’s discipline.” : : : :
“Cardinals”, A Bird Poem By John Jackson Information Appreciation and poem Analysis Presented by V Jayaraj Pune India December 26 , 2023 : : : : : ; : :
Colors Passing Through Us by Marge Piercy Purple as tulips in May, mauve into lush velvet, purple as the stain blackberries leave on the lips, on the hands, the purple of ripe grapes sunlit and warm as flesh. Every day I will give you a color, like a new flower in a bud vase on your desk. Every day I will paint you, as women color each other with henna on hands and on feet.
Red as henna, as cinnamon, as coals after the fire is banked, the cardinal in the feeder, the roses tumbling on the arbor their weight bending the wood the red of the syrup I make from petals.
Orange as the perfumed fruit hanging their globes on the glossy tree, orange as pumpkins in the field, orange as butterflyweed and the monarchs who come to eat it, orange as my cat running lithe through the high grass.
Yellow as a goat’s wise and wicked eyes, yellow as a hill of daffodils, yellow as dandelions by the highway, yellow as butter and egg yolks, yellow as a school bus stopping you, yellow as a slicker in a downpour.
Here is my bouquet, here is a sing song of all the things you make me think of, here is oblique praise for the height and depth of you and the width too. Here is my box of new crayons at your feet.
Green as mint jelly, green as a frog on a lily pad twanging, the green of cos lettuce upright about to bolt into opulent towers, green as Grand Chartreuse in a clear glass, green as wine bottles.
Blue as cornflowers, delphiniums, bachelors’ buttons. Blue as Roquefort, blue as Saga. Blue as still water. Blue as the eyes of a Siamese cat. Blue as shadows on new snow, as a spring azure sipping from a puddle on the blacktop.
Cobalt as the midnight sky when day has gone without a trace and we lie in each other’s arms eyes shut and fingers open and all the colors of the world pass through our bodies like strings of fire. — Marge Piercy .
* I Never Left You Poem John F Connor I watch you every day, I am always very near. I know deep in your heart, you realize I am here. I watch you while you sleep, in your bed at home. I hear you when you speak to me, when you are on your own. You cannot understand the reason why I’ve gone. But I will never leave you I am there to keep you strong. Talk to me, I hear you, though you may not see. We share an unbroken bond that will always be. Death will not keep us apart, for our love is forever. Just remember me in your heart, and one day we will be together. Live your life and live it fully, don’t waste a single day. Remember I am always with you every step of the way.
Red – Bird : The Cardinal The Red Bird : The Cardinal on the branch of a Poplar tree Red – Bird : The Cardinal on the top most branch of A Tree , Singing against the backdrop of blue Sky.“The First Red- Bird”, By Evaleen Stein
“The First Red- Bird”, A Bird Poem By Evaleen Stein is About A Cheerful Honey-sweet Song of The Red -Bird, The Northern Cardinal that was clearly heard by The Poet Speaker in the Frosty Daybreak. : : The searching attempt with strong desire of The Poet to look for an amazingly “joyous thing mingling” or combined “in the cheerful song” could not be located. This was because “all (around ) was “wrapped in violet tinted haze” or fog. “All ( was ) “slumber bound”, that is, all was asleep / in a quiescent state. : : He saw a “little singer” “clad” / clothed in red , in “bright scarlet”plumage / covering “feathers at the topmost height of the Poplar tree.” : : He heard the same honied trill once again when a “sunbeam suddenly” sent forth tilted “over the hill.” The red – bird rocked and shone / reflecting sunbeam, like a “breeze – swept poppy flower” as if effortless sailing downwind / With the Wind , were “blowing lightly with a quivered / ( rapid alternating motion of ) branches of a Poplar tree.” : :
“The golden light” was flashing in which the ( red ) plumage or the red feathers of the Red – Bird was glowing against the backdrop of “the blue sky.. . It was so sweet a sight !” Before The Poet Speaker whose “heart was thrilled with rapture“, that is, entirely carried away by an overwhelming emotions of ecstasy / in an elated bliss. : : : :
“The First Red- Bird”, A Bird Poem By Evaleen Stein , Information Appreciation and poem Analysis Presented by V Jayaraj Pune India December 23, 2023 : : : : : : : :
VIolet tinted haze / fog : called blurry Purple Sky With shadows of trees on a Daybreak, waiting for the appearance of Golden Sunrays
From POETRY : A Magazine Of Verse : January 1931 issue :
“The Cardinal Bird” By Orrick Johns
“The Cardinal Bird”, Published in 1931 January, A Bird Poem By Orrick Johns is About The Song Of The Cardinal Bird who “remains”, Meaning, The Cardinal Songbirds do not migrate away from their habitat Or do not come in from another part elsewhere. They stay in the same place or State for their entire lifetime. The Northern Cardinal or The Red Bird is the official state bird of no fewer than seven eastern states of United States. : Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia.: Here in the poem, The Poet Speaker looks round for three minutes in one spot. He describes the Winter in the First Stanza, with its characteristics view of adversity and how he sees in the Second Stanza, “The summer goes away” with the leaf of the trees in vivid colour , beech, maple, apple, and peach which is white, yellow, red , brown. They get “shrunk or shrivel “It matters little how branches bleach”Because , Winter Or Summer comes in or goes away, The Cardinal Bird remains alongwith their Songs in sweet different musical notes. The Poet Speaker finds his breath from his breath hoarfrost on outside object and interestingly, the breath from the mouth of Winter , mist which covers the nearby ground or area with foggy haze or droplets making it less visible and unclear. Yet, he sees more in winter than the summertime of flowers 🌺 🌹
In the Third Stanza, The Poet Speaker sees the things as aforesaid , living in one place. We may consider the Poet’s remarks having a religious undertone in a sense that everything that is life , being or occuring in one fact or an actuality is having one varified existence in one place in the Natural world wherever and whenever , even momentarily we come to associate with the components of life
“The Cardinal Bird”, A Bird Poem By Orrick Johns , Information Appreciation and poem Analysis Presented by V Jayaraj Pune India December 22, 2023 : : : : : : :
Gingerbread Birdhouse Template Gingerbread House Pine Cone And Sprig The Cardinal Is Made Out Of Modeling Chocolate Royal Icing And Fondant Accents . : “Hope is the thing with feathers” Emily Dickinson: : Message on the Christmas Eve of 2025 : : : : : VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS And HAPPY NEW NEW YEAR 2026 Photo credit: Amherst College Library : : Emily Dickinson ( 1830 – 1886 ) Emily Dickinson was born on December 10, 1830, in Amherst, Massachusetts. She attended Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in South Hadley, but only for one year. Her father, Edward Dickinson, was actively involved in state and national politics, serving in Congress for one term. Her brother, Austin, who attended law school and became an attorney, lived next door with his wife, Susan Gilbert. Dickinson’s younger sister, Lavinia, also lived at home, and she and Austin were intellectual companions for Dickinson during her lifetime.
Dickinson’s poetry was heavily influenced by the Metaphysical poets of seventeenth-century England, as well as her reading of the Book of Revelation and her upbringing in a Puritan New England town, which encouraged a Calvinist, orthodox, and conservative approach to Christianity. She admired the poetry of Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, as well as John Keats. Though she was dissuaded from reading the verse of her contemporary Walt Whitman by rumors of its disgracefulness, the two poets are now connected by the distinguished place they hold as the founders of a uniquely American poetic voice. While Dickinson was extremely prolific and regularly enclosed poems in letters to friends, she was not publicly recognized during her lifetime. The first volume of her work was published posthumously in 1890 and the last in 1955. She died in Amherst in 1886.
Upon her death, Dickinson’s family discovered forty handbound volumes of nearly 1,800 poems, or “fascicles,” as they are sometimes called. Dickinson assembled these booklets by folding and sewing five or six sheets of stationery paper and copying what seem to be final versions of poems. The handwritten poems show a variety of dash-like marks of various sizes and directions (some are even vertical). The poems were initially unbound and published according to the aesthetics of her many early editors, who removed her annotations. The current standard version of her poems replaces her dashes with an en-dash, which is a closer typographical approximation to her intention. The original order of the poems was not restored until 1981, when Ralph W. Franklin used the physical evidence of the paper itself to restore her intended order, relying on smudge marks, needle punctures, and other clues to reassemble the packets. Since then, many critics have argued that there is a thematic unity in these small collections, rather than their order being simply chronological or convenient. The Manuscript Books of Emily Dickinson (Belknap Press, 1981) is the only volume that keeps the order intact. ( From poets.org ) Cardinal ( Male Female Birds : Both sexes possess prominent raised crests and bright coral-colored beaks. : The species expresses sexual dimorphism. : Male is seen in feeding his Female during mating )In courtship, male and female raise heads high, sway back and forth while singing softly; male often feeds female early in breeding season. Female sings mainly in spring before start of nesting. : Both parents feed nestlings. Young leave nest about 9-11 days after hatching. Male may feed fledglings while female begins next nesting attempt. 2-3 broods per year, rarely 4.Juvenile cardinals do not have the distinctive red-orange beak seen in adult birds until they are almost fully mature. On hatching, their beaks are grayish-black and they do not become the trademark orange-red color until they acquire their final adult plumage in the fall. : Singing Cardinal Bird . : :Songs
Both sexes sing clear, whistled song patterns, which are repeated several times, then varied. Some common phrases are described as “cheeeer-a-dote, cheeer-a-dote-dote-dote”, “purdy, purdy, purdy…whoit, whoit, whoit, whoit”, “what-cheer, what-cheer… wheet, wheet, wheet, wheet” and “cheer, cheer, cheer, what, what, what, what”.Cardinals were once prized as pets due to their bright color and distinctive song. In the United States, this species is protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, which also banned their sale as cage birds. It is illegal to take, kill, or possess northern cardinals, and violation of the law is punishable by a fine of up to US$15,000 and imprisonment of up to six months. It is also protected by the Convention for the Protection of Migratory Birds in CanadaMale Cardinal Bird : The northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), known colloquially as the redbird, common cardinal, red cardinal, or just cardinal, is a bird in the genus Cardinalis. The cardinal is named after cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church, who wear distinctive red robes and caps. : The term “northern” in the common name refers to its range, as it is the northernmost cardinal species known. : It can be found in southeastern Canada, through the eastern United States from Maine to Minnesota to Texas, New Mexico, southern Arizona, southern California, and south through Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala. It is also an introduced species in a few locations such as Bermuda and Hawaii. Its habitat includes woodlands, gardens, shrublands, and wetlands. : : The northern cardinal is a mid-sized songbird with a body length of 21–23.5 cm (8.3–9.3 in) and a wingspan of 25–31 cm (9.8–12.2 in). The adult weighs from 33.6–65 g (1.19–2.29 oz), with an average 44.8 g (1.58 oz). The male averages slightly larger than the female : : The Cardinal is the official state bird of no fewer than seven eastern states : Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia; Although in each case the particular state just refers to the bird as “cardinal”.Woodland edges, thickets, suburban gardens, towns, desert washes. Found in a wide variety of brushy or semi-open habitats in the East, from forest clearings and swamps to city parks, almost wherever there are some dense bushes for nesting : global population of some 100 million. Populations appear to remain stable or increasing. Cardinal Bird against the Snowy Background of Winter
Hope is the thing with feathers (254): : By Emily Dickinson ( 1830 –1886) Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul, And sings the tune without the words, And never stops at all,
And sweetest in the gale is heard; And sore must be the storm That could abash the little bird That kept so many warm.
I’ve heard it in the chillest land, And on the strangest sea; Yet, never, in extremity, It asked a crumb of me.
— Emily Dickinson
“Hope is the thing with feathers”, Written around 1861 in ballad metre in loose rhyme scheme of common meter ABCB with alternating 8 and 6-syllable lines similar to a hymn. ; A Bird Poem By Emily Dickinson ( 1830 –1886 ) is About “Hope” as a bird with feathers that perches in the human soul—and sings the tune without words , and never stops at all. ( no matter what ) Hope helps man bounce back from setbacks. Hope is like a Cardinal ( as viewed here considering her description of a little bird, she doesn’t name. ): Red Bird which never stops Singing under all circumstances. In saying : Hope “perches in the soul” it is suggested that it is a basic part of human experience. : : The Birds do not speak with a structured language. The Spirituality and Symbolism involves Cardinals more meaningfully with death. That means , The Cardinals illustrate the life of a loved one and his / her spirit after death. The ideal here is for connection with the Spirit in afterlife which provides solaceto thegrieving survivors of the departed human soul who are then satisfied with easier healing that is posing no difficulty. : : : : The gale and storm symbolising hardships , struggle and emotional turmoil in one’s heart are the toughest experiences and are requiring comfort and consolation made available by Hopeful little bird which keeps on providing to the Humans . It doesn’t require anything in return. : : The Cardinal’s song is the Sweetest and loudest when heard in the current of gale , moderately strong and moving although seemingly a fierce wind. Only the violent “storm.. that could break or abash” / that could embarrass because of it’s hurting behaviour, would be afflictive on the little Cardinal Bird to get helplessly distressed and silent. Like The tuneful note would not be lowered in its pitching ; the Hope in the same way can not be flattened. The wordless, constant tunes are self – generated and spontaneous feelings of a singing bird like Cardinal. Such little Bird of Hope has made many people feel warm. Song of a singing bird Symbolizes the indomitable power of hope and its ability to uplift : : : :
The Poet Speaker has heard the bird’s “singing in the chillest land” ( when she was having extreme loneliness and crushing grief driven depression in desolate place like stark inhospitable “chillest land” ), and “on the Strangest Seas” ( Unknown / Uncharted and dangerous situations ) in another part of the unfamiliar World. Yet in her experiences, even the most extreme ones, the bird has never asked her for anything in return, the smallest piece of food, here, even a “crumb”: Meaning, the aforesaid “Hope” keeps providing her resilience and endurance : comfort and consolation. : : : :
As Both Male & Female Cardinals sing their pleasant songthroughout the year ( since they do not migrate and are seen in all seasons ) people may recall cherished memories of better times. The beautiful birds are a reminder that loved ones will never truly be forgotten. The sweetly singing Bird of Hope would sing merrily and this Hope would keep us alive. The poem, ” Hope is the thing with feathers” 🪶 🪶 is considered to be one of Dickinson’s most optimistic poem , focusing on the inborn as well as talented quality of humans to endure, rather than focusing on fear or despair.: : : : “Hope is the thing with feathers” (254), A Bird Poem By Emily Dickinson Information Appreciation and poem Analysis Presented by V Jayaraj Pune India December 21, 2023 : : ; : : : : : એમિલી ડિકિન્સન (૧૮૩૦–૧૮૮૬) દ્વારા લિખિત કવિતા “આશા એ પીંછા થી ઢાંકી વસ્તુ છે ” નો ગુજરાતી અનુવાદ , જે આશાના શાશ્વત સ્વરૂપને દર્શાવે છે: : વિ જયરાજ : : : : “આશા”એ પીંછાથી ઢાંકી વસ્તુ છે:(૨૫૪) :એમિલી ડિકિન્સન “આશા”એ પીંછાથી ઢાંકી વસ્તુ છે, જેનું વિરામ સ્થાન આત્મામાં છે, અને શબ્દો વિનાનું સુરીલું ગાન ( મધુર સુસ્વરમાં ) ગાય છે, અને ક્યારેય અટકતી નથી, અને સૌથી મીઠાં મધુરાં અવાજ સંભળાય છે , વાવંટોળિયાં પવનમાં ; અને એ વંટોળ પીડાં કરનાર હોવો જોઈએ, જે નાનકડાં પક્ષીને ગભરાવી શકે એ ( પક્ષી ) જેણે ઘણાંને ગરમાવો કરી આપેલ
મેં એને સૌથી ઠંડાં પ્રદેશ માં સાંભળી છે, અને તદ્દન અપરિચિત સમુદ્ર પર ; છતાં, ક્યારેય પ્રતિકૂળ પરિસ્થિતિમાંપણ, એણે મારી પાસે એક દાણો સુદ્ધાં માંગ્યો નથી. — એમિલી ડિકિન્સન : ( ગુજરાતી માં અનુવાદ વિ જયરાજ )
Northern Cardinal ( Male ) In New York, U. S. The northern cardinal is a mid-sized perching songbird with a body length of 21–23 cm (8.3–9.1 in) and a crest on the top of the head. Males are a vibrant red color, and have a black mask on the face, as well as a larger crest. The male behaves territorially, marking out his territory with song. During courtship, the male feeds seed to the female beak-to-beak. : The adult male is a brilliant crimson red color with a black face mask over the eyes, extending to the upper chest. The color becomes duller and darker on the back and wings : A study conducted in 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia, on West Nile virus transmission in the United States found that unlike other species, northern cardinals biologically suppress the disease upon infection.Northern Cardinal ( Female ) In New York , U S Females are a reddish olive color, and have a gray mask around the beak. female is fawn-colored, with mostly grayish-brown tones and a slight reddish tint on the wings, crest, and tail feathers. The face mask of the female is gray to black and is less defined than that of the male. Male juvenile Cardinal in Manhasset, New YorkFemale juvenile in Manhasset , New york.
“આશા” ( Hope ) પીંછાથી ઢાંકી એક વસ્તુ છે જે માનવ આત્મામાં બિરાજે છે, ઘુમે છે , અરે રહે છે—અને મધુર ધૂન સુસ્વરમાં ગાયા કરે છે : શબ્દો વિનાનું ગાન ; ગમે તેવા સંજોગોમાં પણ ક્યારેય અટકતી નથી. આશા , આવ્યાં કરતી આપત્તિઓમાંથી બહાર આવવામાં મદદ કરે છે. એવું કાર્ડીનલ જેવું નાનું લાલ પક્ષી જે તમામ પરિસ્થિતિઓમાં ગાવાનું ક્યારેય બંધ કરતું નથી. આશા “આત્મામાં બિરાજે છે” તેમ કહેવા પાછળનો આશય એ છે કે તે અસ્તિત્વવાદી માનવ અનુભવનો એક મૂળભૂત ભાગ છે. પક્ષીઓ કોઈ રચનાત્મક ભાષામાં બોલતા નથી. ગાતાં પક્ષી નાં ટહુકા ભર્યાં ગાન નો પશ્ર્ચિમી આદર્શ પરલોકમાં ( afterlife ) આત્મા સાથેના જોડાણ માટેનો છે , જે દિવંગત માનવ આત્માના શોકગ્રસ્ત સ્વજનોને સાંત્વના પૂરી પાડે છે, ; જેઓ પછી સરળતાથી હીલિંગ ( healing ) સાજું થવાનો સંતોષ અનુભવે છે , જેમાં કોઈ મુશ્કેલી પડતી નથી.
સંઘર્ષ અને ભાવનાત્મક ઉથલપાથલ નાં પ્રતીક એવા તોફાન અને વાવાઝોડાં ( gale and storm ) મુશ્કેલી ભર્યાં સૌથી કપરાં અનુભવો છે, જ્યારે સમાધાન રૂપ રાહત અને દિલાસા કે સાંત્વના ની જરૂરવર્તાય.
કાર્ડિનલ ( લાલ પક્ષી ) નાં ટહૂકાર ! અરે આપણીકાળી કોયલ નાં વાસંતી ટહુકાઓ , તોફાની પવનની લહેરોમાં ય સાંભળો તો સૌથી સ્પષ્ટ મધુર સુસ્વરમાં આહ્લાદક અનુભવ કરાવનાર નીવડશે. ગાતાં પક્ષી નાં ટહૂકારમાં ની સ્વરોત્પન્ન અને સ્વયંભૂ રેલાતી લાગણીઓ પીડિત કે દુઃખિયા જનોને હૂંફનો અનુભવ કરાવે છે. ગાતાં પક્ષીનું ગીત આશાની અદમ્ય શક્તિ અને ઉત્થાન કરવાની તેની ક્ષમતાનું પ્રતીક છે.
કવયિત્રી ( એમિલી ડિકિન્સન ) ખૂબ જ એકલતા અને કચડી નાખતી શોકથી ભરી હતાશામાંથી પસાર થઈ રહી હશે : જેમ કે કહ્યું છે કોઈ વેરાન ઉજ્જડ ભાસતી જગ્યાએ, “સૌથી ઠંડા પ્રદેશે ” અને અજાણ્યા , “અપરિચિત સમુદ્રો પર” ( એટલે કે ખતરનાક પરિસ્થિતિઓ વચાળે પણ ) ગાતાં પક્ષી નાં આશાભર્યા ટહૂકાર સાંભળ્યાં હતાં ; ત્યારે હૂંફ વળી હતી , ટકી રહેવાની સાંત્વના સાંપડી હતી , દિલાસાયુક્ત ગરમાવાનો અનુભવ થયો હતો. પરંતુ પ્રતિકૂળ પરિસ્થિતિમાં પણ, બદલામાં એણે “મારી પાસે એક દાણો સુદ્ધાં માંગ્યો નથી.”Meaning, the aforesaid “Hope” keeps providing her resilience and endurance : comfort and consolation. : : : :
—અર્થાત, ઉપરોક્ત આશાભર્યા ટહૂકારે ટહૂકારે , ઉલ્લસિત થઈ ને મન હલકું થયું . , ( વાદી , સંવાદી અને અનુવાદી એ ત્રણેય સ્વર એક થઈને ) સ્વરત્રક્યૈ રૂપે ગુંજતા રહ્યાં .: અંતરમનમાં બિરાજમાન , કાવ્યાત્મા માં રહેતી અને કવિતા ની સંનિધિ માં વિહરતી આશા. : મુશ્કેલીભરી આપદાઓ અને આપત્તિઓ નાં સમયે ટહૂકે ટહૂકે સહનશક્તિ પૂરી પાડતી રહે છે : પીંછાં ઢાંકી સ્વર સંવાહક આશા. : : : :
“Hope is the thing with feathers” : Emily Dickinson : : “આશા એ પીંછા થી ઢાંકી વસ્તુ છે.” એમિલી ડિકિન્સન : અર્થ નિર્દેશ આસ્વાદ કાવ્યાર્થ વિચાર વિ જયરાજ પૂણે ઈન્ડિયા. ડિસેમ્બર ૨૧ / ૨૪, ક્રિસમસ ઈવ : ૨૦૨૫ : : Merry Christmas : : Have a pearl of laughter : : AND VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR : :
Merry Christmas : : Have a pearl of laughter : : May this year’s Christmas time provide you All Jolly Days : a festal evening : Zippy walk : half -cut tipsy night : AND : Fully Merrymaking Party With Your Loved Ones :: AND THEN : Spirited HOPEFUL Knockabout For AVeryHappy New Year 2026 : : : :
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is associated with Santa Claus as his ninth, youngest, and most famous lead reindeer, using his glowing red nose to guide the sleigh through foggy weather, a character created for a 1939 store promotion by Robert L. May and popularized by a hit song ( hit No. 1 on the Billboard pop singles chart the week of Christmas 1949. Autry’s recording sold 2.5 million copies the first year, eventually selling a total of 25 million, and it remained the second best-selling record of all time until the 1980s. https://en.wikipedia.o…) John Autry ( September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998 ), nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American actor, musician, singer, composer, rodeo performer, and baseball team owner, who largely gained fame by singing in a crooning style on radio, in films, and on television for more than three decades, : His signature song “Back in the Saddle Again”, as well as his recording hit “At Mail Call Today”, Autry is still remembered for his association with Christmas music, : : Ridiculed for his nose as a fawn, the brightness of his nose is so powerful that it illuminates the team’s path through harsh winter weather. : Rudolph became a hero, earning the respect and love of the other reindeer and becoming a permanent part of Santa’s team in popular culture. : : john Autry, member of both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. He is the only person to be awarded stars in all five categories on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, for film, television, music, radio, and live performance. The town of Gene Autry, Oklahoma, was named in his honor, as was the Gene Autry precinct in Mesa, Arizona.
DIGITALLY REMASTERED ( 18 / 12 / 2025 ) For You Tube Released Video : ORIGINAL 1949 Audio Recording ReMixed By JARichardsFilm HiQ Hybrid = Live Video Performance PLUS Studio Quality Sound.: : Click HERE inBELOWand Enjoy the Song Rudolf The Red Nosed Reindeer 🦌 : : : :
The iconic 1949 song “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” recorded by Gene Autry, was written by Robert L. May’s brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, based on May’s 1939 story for Montgomery Ward; here are the famous lyrics. (Verse 1) Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, had a very shiny nose, And if you ever saw it, you would even say it glows. All of the other reindeer, used to laugh and call him names, They never let poor Rudolph, join in any reindeer games. (Verse 2) Then one foggy Christmas Eve, Santa came to say, “Rudolph with your nose so bright, won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?” Then all the reindeer loved him, as they shouted out with glee, “Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, you’ll go down in history!” (Verse 3) (Often sung as a variation/outro) You know Dasher and Dancer, and Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid, Donner and Blitzen, But do you recall, the most famous reindeer of all? Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, had a very shiny nose, And if you ever saw it, you would even say it glows. All of the other reindeer, used to laugh and call him names, They never let poor Rudolph, join in any reindeer games. (Verse 4) Then one foggy Christmas Eve, Santa came to say, “Rudolph with your nose so bright, won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?” Then all the reindeer loved him, as they shouted out with glee, “Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, you’ll go down in history!”
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Happy Xmas ( War Is Over ) : : John Lennon & Yoko Ono Released : 1 December 1971 (US) 24 November 1972 (UK) Recorded 28 and 31 October 1971 Studio Record Plant East, New York City Label Apple Songwriters : John Lennon -Yoko Ono Producers : Phil Spector, John Lennon, Yoko Ono : : : : Now : Audio/Video in 4 K ( wide Screen ) [Intro: Yoko Ono & John Lennon] Happy Christmas, Kyoko Happy Christmas, Julian
[Verse 1: John Lennon] So this is Christmas And what have you done? Another year over And a new one just begun And so this is Christmas I hope you had fun The near and the dear ones The old and the young
[Chorus: Yoko Ono & Harlem Community Choir] A very merry Christmas And a happy New Year Let’s hope it’s a good one Without any fear
[Verse 2: John Lennon & Harlem Community Choir] And so this is Christmas (War is over) For weak and for strong (If you want it) The rich and the poor ones (War is over) The road is so long (Now) And so happy Christmas (War is over) For black and for white (If you want it) For yellow and red ones (War is over) Let’s stop all the fight (Now)
[Chorus: Yoko Ono & Harlem Community Choir] A very merry Christmas And a happy New Year Let’s hope it’s a good one Without any fear
[Verse 3: John Lennon & Harlem Community Choir] And so this is Christmas (War is over) And what have we done? (If you want it) Another year over (War is over) And a new one just begun (Now) And so happy Christmas (War is over) We hope you have fun (If you want it) The near and the dear ones (War is over) The old and the young (Now)
[Chorus: Yoko Ono & Harlem Community Choir] A very merry Christmas And a happy New Year Let’s hope it’s a good one Without any fear
[Outro: Harlem Community Choir] War is over If you want it War is over Now Happy Christmas (Happy Christmas) Happy Christmas (Happy Christmas) Happy Christmas (Happy Christmas) Happy Christmas (Happy Christmas)
Click HERE in BELOW To View and Listen to this very famous Beatles Christmas Song : :
Hope The War in Gaza, Ukraine and in Kashmir is Over.. . GINGERBREAD VILLAGE : 5000 Christmas Light Largest Show 24/12/24: : The largest gingerbread village consists of 1,251 buildings and was constructed by Jon Lovitch (USA) and displayed at the New York Hall of Science in Corona, New York, USA, on 6 January 2017. :: This was the fourth time that Jon has held this record title. A gingerbread house is a novelty confectionery shaped like a building that is made of cookie dough, cut and baked into appropriate components like walls and roofing. The usual base material is crisp gingerbread, hence the name. :: A full-scale gingerbread house as a Christmas decoration in Stockholm, 2009 ( was made of 294 kg (648 lb) flour, 92 kg (203 lb) margarine, 100.4 kg (221 lb) sugar, 66.3 L (14.6 imp gal; 17.5 US gal) Golden syrup, 2.2 kg (4.9 lb) each of cinnamon, cloves, ginger and 3.7 kg (8.2 lb) baking powder. : : In 2013, a group in Bryan, Texas, US, broke the Guinness World Record set the previous year for the largest gingerbread house, with a 2,520-square-foot (234 m2) edible-walled house in aid of a hospital trauma centre. The gingerbread house had an estimated calorific value exceeding 35.8 million and ingredients included 2,925 pounds (1,327 kg) of brown sugar, 1,800 pounds (820 kg) of butter, 7,200 eggs and 7,200 pounds (3,300 kg) of general purpose flour.
5000 Christmas Light Show ! GUINNESS WORLD RECORD : Sky Elements largest ( Full ) DRONE SHOWS : : To have ever flow in the United States.
Powered by friends at UVify , the scenes that capture the spirit of the holidays are crafted , like a beautiful Thanksgiving turkey, a winter wonderland scene, gingerbread village ( which is now officially the largest, according to Guinness World Records ! )
Hope this show is a testament to what’s possible when creativity and innovation come together with a dedicated and passionate team. Everyone’s holiday is a little more magical . Click HERE in BELOW To Enjoy the Video. : : : : A Very Merry HAPPY CHRISTMAS 🎄🎁🎄🎁🎄🎁🎄🎁🎄🎁🎄🎁
* A prompt — executive Bird is the Jay — : : By Emily Dickinson A prompt, executive Bird is the Jay, Bold as a Bailiff’s hymn, Brittle and brief in quality— Warrant in every line; Sitting a bough like a Brigadier, Confident and straight, Much is the mien Of him in March As a Magistrate. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : * * Bluejay : : By Robert Francis
So bandit-eyed, so undovelike a bird to be my pastoral father’s favorite– skulker and blusterer whose every arrival is a raid.
Love made the bird no gentler nor him who loved less gentle. Still, still the wild blue feather brings my mild father.
— Robert Francis : : From “Come Out into the Sun: Poems New and Collected” by Robert Francis (1965)::
Robert Frost once said Francis was “the best neglected poet.”
* * * Blue Jay at Dawn : : By Ken Hada
Even in gray sky before sunrise, I see your blue-shaded wings, your black, bold beak, your proud head, turned to the sky – bare branches surrounding you. You are the first this morning – first and foremost – like all things beautiful, you command presence as you move through space, as your body joins the imagination of those who watch, who, unlike you, will never know your agility, your scandalous ability to always be new.
From Come Before Winter (Turning Plow Press, 2023). From yourdailypoem.com : For Educational Purposes only.
Ken Hada is a professor at East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma, and hosts a weekly podcast, “The Sunday Poems.” Author of ten books, the latest being Come Before Winter, his 2021 book, Contour Feathers, received the Oklahoma book Award. Ken’s work has also received awards from Western Writers of America and the National Western Heritage Museum. Raised in the rural Ozarks, he enjoys hiking, flyfishing, and kayaking. Learn more about Ken at http://www.kenhada.org.
* V : : Blue Jay : By Katherena Vermette : : : : : : : : : : blue jay poised for flight, one small
foot on the curb like a sprinter, this girl
with such rough skin the colour
of concrete in the rain, this girl is ready
to fly
her eyes pierce the wind that pulls
her hair back, like a mother’s hand
making a ponytail,
looking for a break
she falls
into a clumsy run, dodges cars with more luck
than precision, and lands
triumphant
on the other side
where she pushes the open
sides of her windbreaker
together and falls
behind a thin line of orange
patrols just leaving their posts
not far off
a school bells rings
Published online June 01, 2012
Katherena Vermette is a Métis writer of poetry and fiction. Her work has appeared in several literary magazines and anthologies, most recently Manitoapow: Stories from the Land of Water (Portage and Main Press, 2012). She is a long-time member of the Aboriginal Writers’ Collective of Manitoba and is currently completing her MFA at the University of British Columbia. Her first collection of poetry is set for release by The Muses’ Company in the fall of 2012.
This piece was published in In Nature’s Fold: Animism in Poetry, the Summer 2012 issue of CV2.
V : : The Biggest Blue Jay : : By Marilyn Kallet Lives in the hedge next door. I have hedge envy.
He swoops in once daily on his no-bagel-crumbs
mission. Four times per, if I have seeds or multi-grain
bits. Passover begins tomorrow, so we’ll see
if whole-wheat matzo warrants his bright blue flight.
I am in love with a bird, whom Lou does not envy.
He’s a secure guy. When I confessed that I write to
a poet once a week, the Air Force dude, Lou
didn’t blink. 39 years, and he’s serene about love.
The only thing we argue in our suburban fort
is how to fold the hand towels.
Also, whether to watch “All Rise” or
“A French Village.” I gave him that rerun.
I’ll name the jay Beau: “O les beau jours
de bonheur indicible…”
“Oh the fine days of unspeakable joy.”
Hélas, Verlaine, these unspeakable days
are not carefree. Tell Rimbaud we’re done.
I am thankful to be cooped with a good man,
grateful that the blues have wings.
— Marilyn Kallet Marilyn Kallet is currently serving her second term as Knoxville Poet Laureate. She has published 18 books, including How Our Bodies Learned, The Love That Moves Me, and Packing Light: New and Selected Poems, Black Widow Press. She has translated Paul Eluard’s Last Love Poems and Benjamin Péret’s The Big Game. Dr. Kallet is Professor Emerita at the University of Tennessee. She mentors poetry groups for the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, in Auvillar, France. Her poetry has appeared recently in New Letters and North American Review. Poetry is forthcoming in Plume, Cutthroat, 101 Jewish Poems for the New Millennium, and New Voices, an anthology of contemporary voices confronting antisemitism.
V * : : Blue Jay : : By Hilda Conkling
▼ All the flowers are sleeping, A feather blanket of snow Over them. Blue Jay balances on a dry old sunflower’s bent head . . . He dives under . . . He strikes out seeds with angry beak. His wings are barred with frost, His snow-dusty feet Are like dull crystal. I like him . . . almost . . . But must he keep on screeching in such a voice And the flowers at their wits’ end For a little quiet ?
V * * In Springtime : : by Rudyard Kipling My garden blazes brightly with the rose-bush and the peach, And the koil sings above it, in the siris by the well, From the creeper-covered trellis comes the squirrel’s chattering speech, And the blue jay screams and flutters where the cheery sat-bhai dwell.
But the rose has lost its fragrance, and the koil’s note is strange; I am sick of endless sunshine, sick of blossom-burdened bough.
Give me back the leafless woodlands where the winds of Springtime range — Give me back one day in England, for it’s Spring in England now!
Through the pines the gusts are booming, o’er the brown fields blowing chill, From the furrow of the ploughshare streams the fragrance of the loam, And the hawk nests on the cliffside and the jackdaw in the hill, And my heart is back in England ‘mid the sights and sounds of Home.
But the garland of the sacrifice this wealth of rose and peach is, Ah! koil, little koil, singing on the siris bough, In my ears the knell of exile your ceaseless bell like speech is — Can you tell me aught of England or of Spring in England now?
* koil — Then Indian bell-bird.
sat-bhai — Indian starlings. — Rudyard Kipling
V * * * : : Blue Jay : : By Paul Lake ( From Another Kind of Travel )
A sound like a rusty pump beneath our window
Woke us at dawn. Drawing the curtains back,
We saw—through milky light, above the doghouse—
A blue jay lecturing a neighbor’s cat
So fiercely that, at first, it seemed to wonder
When birds forgot the diplomacy of flight
And met, instead, each charge with a wild swoop,
Metallic cry, and angry thrust of beak.
Later, we found the reason. Near the fence
Among the flowerless stalks of daffodils,
A weak piping of feathers. Too late now to go back
To nest again among the sheltering leaves.
And so, harrying the dog, routing the cat,
And taking sole possession of the yard,
The mother swooped all morning.
I found her there
Still fluttering round my head, still scattering
The troops of blackbirds, head cocked toward my car
