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
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
