SONGBIRD by Brigid Clare Oak

Birdsong in winter is something that thrills my soul; the audacity of exposure and singing through the dark and cold...

Especially in the early morning; to hear a bird sing out its determination not to wait for springtime sun, but to live its fullness even now; oh, what encouragement that brings me!

My family of origin was rife with life threatening, and life taking, depression. People who could not abide the dark and cold. From the very beginning of this life, some Great Grace imbued me with a song, which especially in challenging circumstances and seasons, makes me feel a great kinship with the blessed birds of winter. I am thankful to have inherited the Gift of feeling deeply, but I am also thankful for that Great Grace. Her song, I believe, has saved my life.

Songbird

by Brigid Clare Oak

There is birdsong

beyond my walls

this bright morning.

In the dichotomy of

a spring-worthy sun

and deep winter chill;

the warble and trill of

Life’s inherent ambivalence.

This melody

my heart knows well,

having sung sweet strains

of surreptitious joy

in the midst of a long-abiding,

murky dissonance.

The lilt and shiver of

tenacious love

must seem an odd thing

to those tucked away; neatly

snug inside a warm complacency.

Such ersatz warmth

is not for me.

Open the door!

Kiss me with

a brumal blast

even as I bask

in the Radiance

of Wild Wonder.

This is the soul-deep

spell I’m under;

the certitude of abject ambiguity

and nucleus of the moment’s meaning.

Love is All,

and All is Love~

the branch on which

the songbird stands,

the space through which she falls.

The loam where her frail body lands;

the cessation of her calls.

Brigid Clare Oak lives a quiet life of poetry, prayer, and presence. She is a liturgist, vocalist, and composer of spiritual songs, and works also in the field of elder care and companioning. Brigid is mother to three beloved children; two grown sons and a teenage daughter. Together they enjoy copious amounts of tea, laughter, and love.

~If you are interested in seeing your poetry appear in this blog, or submitting a poem by a woman that has inspired you, please click here for submission guidelines. I greatly look forward to hearing from you!~

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