Linked verses at the equinox

~ Ashley

to wp

What a glorious morning to celebrate the Spring Equinox when night and day are of equal length.  A time when light and dark, inner and outer are in balance.  And in such a fertile time, I managed to finish my first attempt at writing a set of linked verses, which I publish below.

 

(spring)

Standing still,
A Song Thrush listens -
Silence.

Silence -
The sun begins to rise,
A Blackbird sings.

A Blackbird sings,
From dawn to dusk -
The spring equinox.

65 thoughts on “Linked verses at the equinox”

  1. Dear Ashley, what an appropriate poem for this time of the year and any other, as birdsong is so good for our wellbeing.

    Beautiful picture. Thank you.

    Joanna

    Reply

    1. Dear Joanna, birdsong is one of those pleasures that has grown during this period of lockdown. Not as much traffic these days! I have just come in from our small garden and it sounds as if the birds are getting ready for the Birdy Choral Festival 💖

      Reply

  3. I like the idea of linked verses, Ash-tree-sama, and enjoyed reading these. I can see a biology class on a field trip to a national forest, and the students must each link their hokku with another student’s hokku as you’ve done. What a great activity! “Forest renga.” Really enjoyed yours, Ash!

    Reply

    1. Thanks, Ed! I think the original idea was just that; groups of writers, artists etc getting together and versifying but since we’re in lockdown, well, haha! Thanks for dropping in.

      Reply

  8. Ashley,
    You brilliantly honor the Spring Equinox.
    It’s the perfect balance!
    The singing blackbird I know him. He is the one who counts the stars, he is familiar even day and night.
    He understands time.
    Right now I hear them all, and it’s a festival, a music festival without drums or tropettes, a kikiriki and rikikit party!
    Birds fascinate me, they not only have an inner compass but also an inner clock. They are awareness and immediacy, otherwise why would nature have endowed them with the power to fly like rockets?
    Their only baggage is the fine and rare dust of the worlds they cross from Siberia to the borders of Africa, and their so mysterious language that shines better than gold and brass.
    Bien fort 🕊💖
    Love.
    Corinne

    Reply

    1. Dear Corinne, Thank you for your wonderful comments. We are seeing and hearing lots of Blackbirds just now; the trees and hedges are ‘alive’ with them. His song and that of the Song Thrush are so close to liquid gold. My ageing ears do not hear as well as they used to but I understand that they have different songs for different occasions! Amazing! Merci encore d’avoir pris le temps de visiter mon blog. Souhaits chaleureux et baisers de loin. 💖😚😚

      Reply

  10. Dear Ashley
    A perfect day,
    like you say,
    birds on the wing
    and in full song,
    oh happy spring…
    Spring equinox to you.
    May your season be filled with the blessings of this time of year…
    Love your poem,
    Mx

    Reply

    1. Morag, I hope my northern spring is not making you envious, as you hunker down for your southern autumn! I greatly appreciate your visit. Thank you for your kind comments and joyful thoughts 💖

      Reply

      1. You are welcome and Thank you Ashley, I love spring especially after the cold dark winter days, but autumn truly is my favorite season… Although having said that I enjoy the Chang of each season moving to the next… All part of the wheel of time 😉👍😊

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  13. A beautiful and delicately crafted poem! Like you, I am sensitive to this time of the year. Usually February just flows into poems – but not this year. I don’t think I have ever awaited Spring as eagerly as this year. The blackbird is busy building het nest in the firethorn just above our bench. Thank you for sharing its song with us.

    Reply

    1. Thank you for your lovely thoughts here! The blackbirds and thrushes are all very busy just now, along with the house sparrows, dunnock, robin, wren, goldfinch and starling. These are the birds that visit us regularly. Don’t you just love them all? 💖🙏

      Reply

  14. Dear Ashley,
    those ‘linked verses’ appear like quite the sweet poem to me.
    Thank you for sharing them along with the beautiful picture.
    A bright and happy Spring to you!

    Reply

    1. Hi Stefanie, thank you for your lovely words. I do look forward to this time of year and even more so this year. I hope you are keeping well and safe and also looking forward to feeling the warmth of the sun again 💖🙏

      Reply

    1. Thank you, Andrea, for your lovely thoughts. We have had some lovely bright days but it is still cold enough to have to wear a hat and gloves! Like me, I’m sure you can’t wait for more sunshine and some heat. Enjoy what’s left of your Sunday 💖🙏

      Reply

    1. Thank you for dropping by! I wonder what you will be doing at this time as we try to get out into the fresh air as restrictions allow! 💌💌🙏

      Reply

  18. Ashley, I love this wonderful poem. Every day i walk through our garden, watch the birds and listen to them. I thibnk, in the evenings they sing in a particularly beautiful and varied way.
    Happy Easter, Ashley! 🐇🐇
    Rosie from Germany…

    Reply

    1. Thank you Rosie for your lovely response! Now is a great time to listen to the birds, there are so many voices just now. Do you recognise any of them? My garden is small but with bird feeders, we still have many visitors. Happy Easter 🙏

      Reply

      1. Ashley, I would like to practice recognizing bird voices. At the moment i recognize the woodpecker and the jay. And the owls. 🦉🦉
        Happy Easter, Ashley

  20. I don’t know how I missed this beautiful poem. Anything pertaining to birds and nature fascinates me. Thanks for sharing it.

    Reply

    1. Thank you, Kaushal for visiting my blog. Thank you for your lovely thoughts about my verses. I found it to be a difficult form of writing but also a very stimulating one! I love nature too and nowadays concentrate on nature verses. 🙏

      Reply

      1. You have written very well, Ashley. Please keep penning, particularly when you are working with nature. We treat nature as mother in India.

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    1. Thank you Barbara for your lovely words. The photo was taken in March and now we are in April and the big oak tree is getting ready to open its leaves. We still have frosty mornings and so she must be waiting for more warmth. A big hug in return. 🤗💗🙏

      Reply

  24. Mi madre adoraba a los árboles y muy especialmente a los lilos; por ella plantamos uno en nuestro pequeño jardín, pero como aquí hace mucho calor en verano, el pobre no aguantó mucho tiempo. El lilo es más de zonas frías.. El roble se verá precioso cuando se llene de hojas. Un abrazo grande!

    Reply

    1. Trees are the lungs of the planet. We need them, and many other natural things, to be able to breathe on Earth. This afternoon, finally, the sun is warming us here 😎💖🙏

      Reply

    1. Thank you, well but have been depressed. Not today though as we went further and had a lovely walk by a lake. Ice cream too! 😋

      Reply
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