The Watching

On Monday morning, I opened up the Seedlings living room for poem play. Who knew how many hidden poets were among us, ready to respond if only prompted with a few words...

If memories were sparrows

Of course, since then, I too have been intrigued by those words. What might I make of them? This is what came...

'The Watching'

If memories were sparrows,
mine would gather behind
a house half finished aluminum

sided against the landscape, windows
glazed from the inside out with smoke
of cigarette and venison burning.

They would crowd in lavender lilac,
above the intersection where each year
a robin laid impossible blue eggs,

one of which it seems would always
break, sully the perfect roundness
of a mother's mud-patched efforts

to prevent a deadly cracking. Sparrow
memories would rock limbs, tremble
leaves, blot out the threat of rain

while brown haired girls peered over
rim of tight worked straw to watch
a miracle of twin eggs coming to birth.

[UPDATE: Tonight, my sister Sandra sent me this beautiful poem— another lift, a twin, a side window. Makes me wish for a Stone Crossings of sorts from her own hands.


'Summer'

If memories were sparrows,
mine would cluster in the thick
of forest pine bravely stretching

high into the skyscape, branches
broad and twisted, gently worn from
passage of youth’s strong limbs.

They would crowd in treetop perches,
staring down on murky pond face
where fallen cones go to sleep

with black tadpoles whose bodies
morph, from slippery slivers to
croaking fullness, reminding us

to avoid an angry wind. Sparrow
memories would chase salamanders
orange and dry under summer sun

while brown haired girls twitter
bare feet squishing in the mud
that sparkles with broken glass.

— Sandra

Thank you ALL, for taking words that began here and stringing them with hopes, humors, dreams, imaginings and longings of your own. There is still time if you have not yet crafted a poem or want to add to our communal poem (please post all entries by Thursday night, either here in the comment box or on your blog). Then, on Friday, we will have our grand finale at High Calling Blogs.

Katrina's If Memories Were Sparrows
23 Degree's If Memories Were Sparrows
Nikki's trio of memory poems
Sherri Watt
Nancy's poem
Laura
Mom2Six's I Start, You Finish
Laure's The 10 O'Clock Evening Hour
Rain's If Memories Were Sparrows
Marcus
Heather, of Off the Beaten Path
Lorrie's If Memories Were Sparrows
Erica's If Memories Were Sparrows: Playing with Poetry
Joy's The Great Poem Caper
Prairie Chick's Memories
Joelle's If Memories Were Sparrows
Lynet
Kim's If Memories Were Sparrows
Ann
Lucille
Lore
Daune's If Dreams Had Wings Like a Sparrow
Emily's If Memories Were Sparrows
Bought 'As Is' If memories were sparrows...

Memories, mixed media art by Gail Nadeau. Used with permission.

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