O at the Edges

Musings on poetry, language, perception, numbers, food, and anything else that slips through the cracks.

Mockingbird

Posted on January 18, 2015 by robert okaji

Mockingbird

Withdrawn, it unfolds
to another
voice, like that

of a child lost in the wind.
Or, lonely, it rises from its place

and sings, only
to return and start again.
The pleasure we accept derives from

the knowledge that we are not alone.
Each morning we walk out and sit
by the stones, hoping to observe some

new patterns in his life. What we
see is an answer. What we hear is no song.

63 thoughts on “Mockingbird”

Laine Jensen on January 18, 2015 at 12:08 pm said:

This is beautiful!

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- robert okaji on January 18, 2015 at 12:55 pm said:
  
  Thank you, Laine.
  
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GottaKnowWriteNow on January 18, 2015 at 12:33 pm said:

Very beautiful, and Interesting movement!

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- robert okaji on January 18, 2015 at 12:58 pm said:
  
  Thank you. If I were to write this same poem today (it’s probably 25+ years old) it would likely look and sound a bit different. 🙂
  
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georgiakevin on January 18, 2015 at 12:49 pm said:

Wow! i echo others when i say that your poem is beautiful but it i more than that, it is poignant and powerful. It really makes this reader think. I have always had a fascination with mockingbirds. (One of my 3 favorite books is of course “To Kill A Mockingbird.”

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- robert okaji on January 18, 2015 at 1:01 pm said:
  
  Thank you. Mockingbirds are among my favorites to observe and listen to. The variety of sound and songs they’re able to mimic is incredible!
  
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Dermott Hayes on January 18, 2015 at 1:28 pm said:

Kinda bleak , Robert?

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- robert okaji on January 18, 2015 at 1:51 pm said:
  
  Possibly.
  
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fromthefamilytable on January 18, 2015 at 1:36 pm said:

Nice image. The poem captures the feeling of the mockingbird

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- robert okaji on January 18, 2015 at 1:51 pm said:
  
  Thanks very much.
  
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Ron on January 18, 2015 at 2:54 pm said:

Lovely, Bob! One of my “Top Five Okaji” poems ever! It brings back powerfully my Mema teaching me the songs of her favorite birds, just as she taught me the stars and set me on the path I’ve followed for over sixty years. Thank you so much for making fresh the memories almost forgotten.

With Deep Respect,

Ron

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- robert okaji on January 18, 2015 at 5:50 pm said:
  
  Hey, Ron! I’m so pleased the poem had that effect (and that it made your top five list). Thanks, as always.
  
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milliethom on January 18, 2015 at 2:58 pm said:

A lovely poem about a wonderful bird.

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- robert okaji on January 18, 2015 at 5:50 pm said:
  
  Thank you. They are wonderful, aren’t they?
  
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Jeff S. on January 18, 2015 at 3:30 pm said:

What a beautiful picture. Enjoyed the poetry as well!

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- robert okaji on January 18, 2015 at 5:51 pm said:
  
  Thanks, Jeff. The photo is from morguefile.com, my go-to site for photos.
  
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A Former Prison Librarian on January 18, 2015 at 3:34 pm said:

You words evoked childhood memories. Thank you.

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- robert okaji on January 18, 2015 at 5:53 pm said:
  
  The pleasure was all mine. Thank you for your support!
  
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Charlotte Ash on January 18, 2015 at 6:17 pm said:

In the vein of Mary Oliver. Love it!

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- robert okaji on January 19, 2015 at 8:09 am said:
  
  Curiously, I wasn’t a Mary Oliver fan when I wrote this poem long ago. Of course now I adore her writing! Thank you.
  
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  - Charlotte Ash on January 19, 2015 at 4:00 pm said:
    
    I’m currently reading “Blue Horses” and loving it. It seems quite a few people blow off her work as “nature poetry” (why is that a bad thing?!) but they fail to grasp the nuances in her writing, IMO.
    
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  - robert okaji on January 19, 2015 at 6:27 pm said:
    
    I think some fail to see that it’s not the what of her writing that matters, it’s the how of the writing, the way she expresses herself so subtly and elegantly.
    
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C on January 18, 2015 at 8:21 pm said:

Pleasure is a matter of acceptance, isn’t it? Very spare and evocative!

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- robert okaji on January 19, 2015 at 8:10 am said:
  
  Acceptance and a little awareness, I think.
  
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lifelessons on January 18, 2015 at 9:44 pm said:

SO LOVELY,ROBERT. DO NOT CHANGE A WORD. JUDY

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- robert okaji on January 19, 2015 at 8:11 am said:
  
  Thanks, Judy.
  
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Sherrie de Valeria on January 19, 2015 at 8:52 am said:

From nature as we learn the ways of the bird on how they live is the right way for us to learn to live too – be open. Beautiful. I love this.

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- robert okaji on January 19, 2015 at 10:28 am said:
  
  Thank you. I have to remind myself that while birds bring peaceful feelings to me, many of them are predators. A bit of this, a bit of that…
  
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author on January 19, 2015 at 9:01 am said:

Lovely…reading it was a great way to start my meditation this morning. Thank you.

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- robert okaji on January 19, 2015 at 10:29 am said:
  
  I’m so pleased you thought so. Thank you.
  
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willow1945 on January 19, 2015 at 9:20 am said:

Love this, Robert. My favorite lines: ” it unfolds
to another
voice, like that
of a child lost in the wind.”
It caught my heart.

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- robert okaji on January 19, 2015 at 10:31 am said:
  
  Thank you!
  
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john hauge on January 19, 2015 at 10:40 am said:

i enjoy mocking birds. however, the lonely males that don’t sleep and wail away at night tend to be very annoying at times. if i could only find them a mate and a peaceful night for myself.

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- robert okaji on January 19, 2015 at 12:20 pm said:
  
  A new career? John Hauge, Matchmaker for the birds!
  
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Jeanne on January 19, 2015 at 12:56 pm said:

Yes! I like “no song.” No easy answers for us, mockingbird.

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- robert okaji on January 19, 2015 at 6:20 pm said:
  
  You’ve got that right: no easy answers!
  
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David Fieni on January 19, 2015 at 3:13 pm said:

Very nice: thank you.

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- robert okaji on January 19, 2015 at 6:21 pm said:
  
  Thanks very much, David.
  
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Ryan Lucia on January 19, 2015 at 9:50 pm said:

Reblogged this on RyanLucia.

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- robert okaji on January 19, 2015 at 10:18 pm said:
  
  Thanks for reblogging.
  
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Zakariya Mohammed on January 19, 2015 at 10:33 pm said:

Thanks so much for checking out my blog. I appreciate the like too!

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- robert okaji on January 21, 2015 at 4:59 am said:
  
  You’re very welcome. I enjoyed your blog.
  
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redgladiola on January 20, 2015 at 4:36 pm said:

Gorgeous! I love how the Mocker’s song really evokes the sense of being glad to be alive. ❤

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- robert okaji on January 21, 2015 at 5:00 am said:
  
  Watching the bachelor males performing their antics will certainly evoke that sense!
  
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mmcgoverne on January 21, 2015 at 7:57 am said:

Your poem is beautiful, and very timely for me – I’m writing a novel, and birds figure thematically, and so does a child being lost! Inspiration, and I enjoyed the beautiful picture too!

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- robert okaji on January 21, 2015 at 6:04 pm said:
  
  Birds are everywhere!
  
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susanissima on January 21, 2015 at 11:37 am said:

We learn so much from our moments with birds. Love this one.

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- robert okaji on January 21, 2015 at 6:04 pm said:
  
  Indeed we do. Thank you.
  
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harmonioustew on January 21, 2015 at 3:33 pm said:

I like the idea of birds communicating with us, whether deliberately or not, and have always sought dialogue with the rest of nature’s diminishing denizens. Thanks for the beautiful poem, and for liking my last post.

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- robert okaji on January 21, 2015 at 6:07 pm said:
  
  I suppose we communicate by observing and listening to, and by participating with them in some small way. Thanks for stopping by, Stew. I always enjoy your blog.
  
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Word Artisan VT on January 23, 2015 at 11:37 am said:

Hi Robert…I have a mockingbird poem too (not posted in my blog yet) – ha ha. Amazing birds. Thank you for liking my prose poem “Winter Weekly Vacuum.”

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- robert okaji on January 23, 2015 at 3:52 pm said:
  
  I hope you post it soon! Thanks for stopping by.
  
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simplygiselle on January 23, 2015 at 1:17 pm said:

I cannot say why, but the Mockingbirds in my neighborhood crack me up. I always find myself chuckling as I walk away. Thank you for the reminder of how much I miss their chatter during the winter 🙂

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- robert okaji on January 23, 2015 at 3:54 pm said:
  
  For a while a mocker in our neighborhood made the strangest sound. I finally determined that it was a ring tone. Why he chose that is beyond me. 🙂
  
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rubyr8 on January 25, 2015 at 10:53 am said:

Beautiful and strong. Your poem draws my mind in just like the sounds of a mockingbird, the pictures and words flow well together.

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- robert okaji on January 31, 2015 at 7:04 am said:
  
  Thank you. Mockingbirds certainly draw us in, don’t they?
  
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rpetermogielnicki on January 26, 2015 at 5:19 pm said:

So many songs…..so many meanings. Who is he singing for? Who are we?
Lovely poem!

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- robert okaji on January 26, 2015 at 6:20 pm said:
  
  Yes, yes! So many. Thank you.
  
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poeticjusticjlz on January 26, 2015 at 7:28 pm said:

Absolutely fabulous!!!

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- robert okaji on January 31, 2015 at 7:04 am said:
  
  I’m so pleased you think so. Thank you.
  
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Pingback: Slipping through the cracks. | Live Love Laugh
godcrazzzy on February 25, 2016 at 4:12 pm said:

Nice

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- robert okaji on February 25, 2016 at 4:17 pm said:
  
  Thank you.
  
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