I discovered a poem and I'm making it your problem

It's called "Bird-Understander" and it's a romantic poem written by Craig Arnold in 2009 and I think it's my new favourite poem ever

I like how it captures simple adoration, and says that it doesn't take a grand gesture to realise how in love you are with someone. It's sweet and short and speaks to the hopeless romantic currently living off stray grapes and puddle water in the back of my mind

Poems like these are important because we live in an age where everyone is in it for the entertainment value. It's all trend, trend, click, flashing lights, and I think we loose some of the easier and softer parts of love in how fast paced the world is. It's important to slow down and appreciate the birds sometimes, you know? To consider how much it can mean to someone that you are thinking of how they feel and trying to help them, even if you can't, much like the subject and the bird in the poem. Noticing and listening are some of the most tender forms of love if you think about it because it seems easy, but it requires attention, and even dedication sometimes, but in the end it's worth it, because being close with the person you love should be the end goal (at least in my opinion). Sitting down and having a conversation about what you did that day will mean more 20+ years down the line than any grand gesture of affection, because eventually those get old. No one ever gets tired of being seen and understood.

Basically you should all read poetry more. Go online (The Poetry Foundation is a good place to start), find something that resonates with you, find something that speaks to you spiritually. Write about it, share it with your friends, or even just put it on your wall. Art like this is made to be consumed and looked at and treated with tenderness and I think we would all feel a little better about ourselves if we read more poetry. It's a very humanising art form in my opinion. A reminder that everyone universally has dreams and desires and weaknesses. I'll post more if I find any cute ones on my next scavenger hunt.

I'm going to share it with you because I need other people to be aware of how beautiful this writing is:

Of many reasons I love you here is one

the way you write me from the gate at the airport

so I can tell you everything will be alright

so you can tell me there is a bird

trapped in the terminal all the people

ignoring it because they do not know

what to do with it except to leave it alone

until it scares itself to death

it makes you terribly terribly sad

You wish you could take the bird outside

and set it free or (failing that)

call a bird-understander

to come help the bird

All you can do is notice the bird

and feel for the bird and write

to tell me how language feels

impossibly useless

but you are wrong

You are a bird-understander

better than I could ever be

who make so many noises

and call them song

These are your own words

your way of noticing

and saying plainly

of not turning away

from hurt

you have offered them

to me I am only

giving them back

if only I could show you

how very useless

they are not

Kudos: 0

Comments

Displaying 0 of 0 comments ( View all | Add Comment )