The Unseen Sounds of Morning on the Porch

 

Except to approve comments on student blogs, I haven’t touched my blog since school ended on June 16th. It’s time to reconnect. Today, I’m publishing a poem I penned while sitting out on my newly cleaned screened porch. Ramya, one of my former students, is regularly writing poetry, which I often see in  my Edublogs Reader. Reading all of her poetry inspired me. So, here is my first poem of summer. I’ve also been reading like a madwoman, so I’ll post reviews shortly! To all of my former sixth graders, I hope you’re enjoying every second of this summer! 🙂 

photo credit: img0.etsystatic.com

photo credit: img0.etsystatic.com

I sit on the porch

facing a sky-high wall of greenery 

shimmering in the early morning sun

some branches so close

they reach out

like

jungle

fingers

touching the wire screen that divides us

an orchestra of feathered voices  communicates

in the inimitable rhythm of creation

the absolute stillness of the green towers

belies the true nature of this

dense

backyard

forest

invisible creatures, perched high within this verdant canopy

warble, trill, whistle, and twitter

robotic beeps and chirps create a sci-fi soundtrack

a hidden woodpecker knocks its jelly-packed brain

against a dying tree

tap. tap tap. tap. tap tap. tap. tap. tap.

the baritone beat sends a  morse code message

I listen to these ceaseless conversations

rocking

sipping coffee

absorbing the unidentifiable voices

a plane rumbles overhead

its engine temporarily deafening the concealed crooners.

once the roar fades, the forest’s songs resuscitate

I sit listening again to the unseen sounds

of a summer morning

on

the 

porch.

— Martha Seals Rombach