he calls
all night
in tones
that rise
that fall:
she’s gone
she’s there
he calls
before
she calls
be there
before
be gone
again
until
so late
at last
we fall
we sleep
& dream
a world
like this
a tree
a bough
may fall
but there
within
the dark
red eye
sees all
sees call
again
until
he stops
the quiet rushes in
&
we dream
a world
like this
that tree
that eye
sees all
the call
so soon
& on,
the night
the call
the bird
the eye
we go.
come dawn
come day
the bird
the call
she’s gone
he calls
& on
& on
& on
Image: Male Australian Koel aka Storm Bird (Eudynamys (orientalis) cyanocephalus), by Lance @ Flickr. The Koel’s arrival is associated with summer, storms and sleepless nights in Eastern & Northern Australia. Posted at Dverse, the poets’ pub where Jilly is hosting and (coincidentally) asks us write on repetition. And if you want to hear the Koel’s song you can come round to my place (or listen here).
Peter Frankis writes 
The form that you use gives this a feel of falling – perhaps the sense of falling asleep. Excellent use of repetition! Thanks for introducing me to this bird – hope you don’t mind if I don’t invite him over for tea!
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Best not. He’d probably get you to raise his kids. 🙂
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Oh, I know that old ploy; we have a species that does that here. (Besides, I teach school, so I raise about 150 kiddos every year.)
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Clever. A sort of ping-pong effect that mimics birdsong.
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The poor Koel, sounds like my youth, lol. It has a very musical base beat. I was kind of rapping along with it
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i like reading poems like these that have a tempo of its own that cannot be denied even to the most tone deaf…like me. i felt i was on the very edge of that wing of a bird that came,and went and flew and finally was still
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Thanks Gina, glad you liked it. (the bird’s still calling)
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what a lovely chorus for you. you are welcome Peter. yes I did very much
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That bird is persistent.
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Wonderful- hypnotic!
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Thanks Cathy – the current press describes the koel as “…the most irritating bird in the Illawarra” (he’s still calling – even now!)
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I really love the way you have written this in unameter (or something)… I can hear the repetitive nature of the birdsong
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I’d find it hard to sleep too…thanks for sharing recording of Koel’s song.
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I love the repetition of that call…that call. Thanks for the backgrounder of this beautiful bird.
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At last I know what a koel call sounds like. Thanks for the poem Peter. Our companion cockatiel approves.
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What they said. The timing of the notes, the alternations, the tick-tock pendulum of time. A pleasure to read, Peter.
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