A quadrille for dverse
Ash tree
The ash marks the path
that leads to the house
caught in its boughs
are scraps of blue sky
robin-egg blue
a pigeon or two
where white-wispy cloud’s
a-dangle with jays
chattering, joyous
garrulous gang
and all through the bright spring
a nightingale sang.
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Jane Dougherty Writes 
Oh, Jane, this is a dance of a poem, and makes me long for spring. It manages to be lyrical and jaunty at the same time. Must be those jays.
I’m glad you like the jays. We get masses of them. Noisy, cheeky buggers.
Jaunty. And prettier than jackdaws, which are at Egyptian plague levels round here.
I’ve always liked jackdaws. They seem to prefer the towns here. I haven’t seen any at all in the fields.
We’ve had them down the chimney a coupe of times – too close an encounter!
My great-grandma often had them in her ‘clinic’. She had two procedures for injured birds, matchstick splints and a shot of whiskey. I never knew her to lose one.
We’ve never had an injured one – just lots of sooty wingprints all over the kitchen.
Reminds me of the nasty old codger who we bought our woodburner from. He’d put a sort of trap around the pipe so the birds that got down the chimney couldn’t get into the room. It didn’t bother him that they couldn’t get back up the chimney either. He also kept ornamental ducks on a pond with a net over it so they couldn’t fly away. Only males. The females couldn’t survive European winters and had died. They looked so miserable.
I long so for spring reading this… we do have nightingales close to where we live, and hearing them on an early summer evening is heaven.
Lovely!
Thank you!
This reminds me of a stanza of a nursery rhyme, a very pleasant one. Like “This is the house that Jack built.”
Thanks Lisa 🙂 I enjoy a bit of rhythm with my rhyme.
You’re welcome and it definitely dances down the path 🙂
Thanks 🙂
I read this a second time, Jane….aloud. LOVE the rhythm and the rhyming.
“chattering, joyous
garrulous gang”
JUST the sound of reading these four words aloud is glorious.
I really enjoyed this write!
Thanks Lillian. I enjoy the sound of poems, even if I very rarely read them aloud in public.
Love how the tree catches the sky catches the birds captures your attention captures my admiration for your poetry. Fine work JD.
Thanks Ron. You ‘caught’ my thought process exactly 🙂
Such a delight. I felt like I. was there–well, I wanted to be there. I love how the tree boughs catch the blue sky–and all those birds!
Thank you 🙂 The ash trees (after the elms and the plane trees) have got a disease that’s going to kill them all eventually. This one gets a hammering for no reason from the hedge-trimmer every time it passes. You wouldn’t expect a farmer to know anything about trees, would you?
Yes, I guess there are various diseases and insects that kill trees in different parts of the world.
They usually come from importing plants and importing pests and diseases with them.
Yes, like we have the spotted lantern fly here now.
I haven’t heard of that one, but no doubt we’ll get it soon enough.
They are beautiful insects. Bright red, and then as they get older, they’re grey with a bright red undercoat. It would be beautiful if it were a gown. 😀 I think they came from China–no known predators here–and they eat plants and trees, vines. We’re advised to kill any we see. Apparently, they also hitchhike on cars and things.
There are so many things, out of their own environment that do harm. The grey squirrel is a major offender, so small and cute but it wreaks havoc with indigenous red squirrel populations. It’ll get here eventually. They already have it in Italy.
So much to love especially; “a pigeon or two where white-wispy cloud’s a-dangle with jays chattering,” .. the poem goes deeper as we contemplate the role of ash here. Crisp, succinct and oh so moving! 💝💝
You’re maybe crediting me with more depth than I deserve! It’s an old tree, struggling with the municipal hedge-trimmer which lops bits off it every time it goes past. And it’s always full of birds!
Well, this was fun! The poem is musical and jaunty, even if you don’t like jays 😉
Thanks Marie 🙂 Our jays aren’t like yours, which I believe can be murderous! They’re called oak tree jays here because they plant oak trees.
Luv the clouds. Luv the birds and trees. Luv the joy.
Bravo!!!
Most of the posts i read are dark including mine today.
Much💜love
I’ve been too dark lately. It was time to lighten up 🙂
One of the joys of trees–birds. (K)
They were made for each other.
Beautiful.
Thank you 🙂
How joyful this is specially:
chattering, joyous
garrulous gang
and all through the bright spring
a nightingale sang.
Trees without birds aren’t complete, are they? Thanks, Grace 🙂
Such a lovely rhythm to your quadrille. A pleasure to read!
Thank you, Carol 🙂
Somehow your quadrille reads like a painting. Not sure how you did that but it’s so beautiful and striking. Much enjoyed.
Maybe because I can see that tree from my window 🙂 I’m pleased you enjoyed the poem.
Everyone has already given all my reasons for loving this poem. I agree with them all!
Thanks Judy, I’m pleased you like it 🙂
I love all the devices you employ here, the delightful description of the ‘robin-blue sky,’ the alliterative/assonant ‘garrulous gang,’ and the rhyming – it’s a lot to squeeze into one quadrille!
I’m glad you liked it. The single rule of 44 words doesn’t feel like enough of a challenge to me. I’m fundamentally a bit of a masochist when it comes to writing.
😅
it’s so interesting how the title of this poem is the key to understanding it, Jane… I love that 🙂
❤
David
I’m glad I put in a key then 🙂
A lovely picture to read .
Thank you!
This is beautiful! Especially
“caught in its boughs
are scraps of blue sky
robin-egg blue
a pigeon or two”
such a perfect image.
Thank you 🙂 I’m fond of this ash tree, and knowing that they’re all probably doomed makes me pay special attention to it.
Always love the rhythm of your verses. Delightful. 🙂
Thank you! I go through phases of thinking in rhythm and everything comes out like a song 🙂
Your lovely quadrille carries on the lilting song of nature!
Thank you, Lynn!
You’re welcome, Jane 🙂
A delightful nature poem, resplendent in its visuals. If I pause and breathe it in, I can taste the ease settling through the air.
Thank you! I’m pleased you enjoyed it )