O at the Edges

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

Mockingbird III

Posted on March 16, 2015 by robert okaji

Mockingbird III

Songs, returned
to their space

within the sphere of
movement, the patterns inscribed
as if to touch the face of every

wind: here one moment, then
gone. This quickness delights us.
How, then, do we so often forget

those things we share? Night
comes and goes to another’s
phrase, yet each note is so precisely

placed, so carefully rendered
that we hear only the voice, not its source.

Another piece from the 80s. This would likely be a much longer poem if I were to write it today.

27 thoughts on “Mockingbird III”

nananoyz on March 16, 2015 at 8:42 am said:

Beautiful!

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- robert okaji on March 16, 2015 at 11:17 am said:
  
  Thank you!
  
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Steph on March 16, 2015 at 9:11 am said:

i think it has just enough power and punch. leave it as it is. i like it.

maybe i would move those last three words to a last line for more impact.

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- robert okaji on March 16, 2015 at 11:21 am said:
  
  Thanks, Steph. I consider it an artifact from long ago – it’s interesting to see where I might have taken a different direction – but I probably won’t mess with it now.
  
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- robert okaji on March 16, 2015 at 3:03 pm said:
  
  I do like your suggestion about the last three words!
  
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J.R.Goldrich on March 16, 2015 at 9:40 am said:

Breathtakingly beautiful. To my taste, it is exquisite as is.

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- robert okaji on March 16, 2015 at 11:22 am said:
  
  Thank you.
  
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Poetsmith on March 16, 2015 at 10:41 am said:

Just so lovely… 🙂 Thanks Robert!

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- robert okaji on March 16, 2015 at 11:22 am said:
  
  Thank you, Iris.
  
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john hauge on March 16, 2015 at 10:59 am said:

very nice. the photo too.

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- robert okaji on March 16, 2015 at 11:24 am said:
  
  Thanks, John.
  
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wjacobr on March 16, 2015 at 1:01 pm said:

“The mocking bird
imitates
no one
everything it sings
it makes it’s own” JR

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- robert okaji on March 16, 2015 at 2:50 pm said:
  
  They incorporate so much into their songs – like jazz riffs.
  
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Albatross-x on March 16, 2015 at 4:19 pm said:

I’m thinking this is PERFECT. Love the concise style you have–you’re too good, Sir.

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- robert okaji on March 17, 2015 at 2:22 pm said:
  
  Thank you.
  
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scottdanielmassey on March 16, 2015 at 4:24 pm said:

…still, it can’t hurt. Two versions. Would make an interesting comparison if you feel there’s more you could write now.

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- robert okaji on March 17, 2015 at 2:23 pm said:
  
  It would be an interesting exercise.
  
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Jeff Schwaner on March 16, 2015 at 10:00 pm said:

Keep the old one. But write a new one. I’m game for you writing a new one. Go ahead! I have long believed that there is no such thing as a revision, just another poem, and another. Are you done yet? Come on!

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- robert okaji on March 17, 2015 at 2:24 pm said:
  
  Almost done, Jeff. Just give me another five or six years. Or twenty. I tend to move slowly. 🙂
  
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greenlifenow on March 17, 2015 at 5:24 pm said:

Please write another poem to that art piece from the 80’s. Very nice ending to Mockingbird III. Birds sometimes return or are gone for days.

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- robert okaji on March 28, 2015 at 9:08 pm said:
  
  One of these days… 🙂
  
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Maggie on March 24, 2015 at 9:27 pm said:

really beautiful!

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- robert okaji on March 28, 2015 at 9:08 pm said:
  
  Thanks, Maggie!
  
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imaginenewdesigns12 on March 26, 2015 at 8:13 pm said:

Thank you for liking “Sunday Tranquility” and “Spring Equinox.” Wonderful poem! 🙂 I admire your ability to capture the powerful yet fleeting quality of creative expression.

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- robert okaji on March 27, 2015 at 6:56 am said:
  
  Thanks very much!
  
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ceceliast on April 25, 2015 at 3:12 pm said:

I love this.

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- robert okaji on April 25, 2015 at 3:16 pm said:
  
  Thank you.
  
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