For dverse
These mornings
These mornings heavy with rain,
drops quivering on grass stalks,
where wings flutter quiet as feathers,
I listen for the spring
clamour in running water
and the chant of chickens,
dog-bark at windblown scents
of fox and deer.
Listen, the oaks are singing,
leaves not ready to fall, give up
their root and anchor to young buds,
burnish-bursting where chaffinches peck.
These mornings, I listen where the thrush
pours water music above the stream,
and in the bird quiet in the deep earth
where my feet tread,
I hear the root and branch seething,
soft seep of worm galleries,
and the piping voices of sprouting seeds.
Spring-bubbling source of earth magic.
Jane Dougherty Writes 
superb signs of Spring with the sound word choices
“soft seep of worm galleries,
and the piping voices of sprouting seeds.”
especially evocative as so sotto voce
Thank you. The little sounds that almost pass under the radar as so worth listening for.
Another wonderful poem , Lady Jane. The word-smithing so fantastic, the “sound words” are just part of the warp and weave. I liked, “dog-bark at wind blown scents of fox and deer.”
Thanks Glenn 🙂
You make me hear them, Jane.
I’m pleased 🙂
🙂
Your senses were attuned in this one Jane. “…burnish-bursting where chaffinches peck.” Really like that!
Thanks Rob. They’re a constant source of joy, the little birds.
“soft seep of worm galleries,” Loved this line. We may not hear worms but they are so necessary. You make me eager for spring but we are in mid-summer.
Make the most of it. You have the winter ahead of you before you get to spring. We’re in the depths of it, but as soon as the cold lessens, there’s a feeling that we’ve inched a bit closer to spring.
You made that wordlist into a thing of beauty.. but of course the oaks are singing. (K)
I love the oak trees, how they hang onto their leaves even through the winter gales. And they rustle so loud!
Yes, my older daughter and I have often wondered that about the oak tree across from her building. Despite wind rain and snow, those brown leaves hang on.
I did look up the name, something like marcescence. The slightest breeze makes them flutter.
It was great to focus in on the sounds of this ‘Earth magic’ carried throughout the lines. Soft and sweet this song.
Thank you. It’s always there, even when the weather seems atrocious. Life never stops.
Indeed 💜
I just heard the beautiful, beautiful voice of nature….
I don’t always hear it when it’s freezing and foggy, but most of the time, it comes over loud and clear 🙂
Such lovely, vivid description
Thank you!
Lovely imagery! I especially loved the lines “their root and anchor to young buds,
burnish-bursting where chaffinches peck.” 😀
Thank you 🙂
This, in my imagination, is how druids perceive the world around them…
❤
David
Before or after they’ve been on the mistletoe?
I am desperately straining my ears for signs of Spring, but the daffodils are sprouting already…
The narcissi were already showing last November. It’s all gone off the boil again though, been too cold.
I love to see the new shoots, even though I worry for their survival…
Yes, when there’s a late frost they cop it.
Hopefully, they will be safe this year…
Hope so!
Reblogged this on anitadawesauthor.com.
Thank you!
This made me think of an Oracle-inspired poem, but then, of course, she would be in tune with nature. (Pun not intended, but it fits.) This is full of such lovely sounds! I love the compound words, “burnish-bursting,” “spring-bubbling,”. . .
Thank you 🙂 The Oracle is always around. I found the prompt words difficult to fit in. They wouldn’t have been my choice in most cases. Odd because there are some quite ordinary words among them.
I think it’s difficult to sometimes to fit in so many words (and not synonyms). It just might not be what you want to write. 😀
My feeling too. I much prefer prompts that just inspire rather than impose. II know some people like to have something more concrete though.
It depends on my mood. 😀
You’re more versatile than I am 🙂
🤣🤣
Oh, that is beauty reflecting beauty Jane!
Thank you 🙂
Nature sings the sweetest songs, as you have illustrated here, Jane!
She does 🙂 Thank you.
This must be the most beautiful of all the sound poems of today…the quiet sounds we often miss!
Thank you! It was a hard one to write. The prompt words didn’t want to cooperate.
You are welcome.
Prompt words can sometimes do that! But the flow of your verse was so smooth and sustained. 🙂
I’m pleased then. The effort must have worked 🙂
Those early signs of spring are worth waiting for…They are not quite here yet.
They’re probably there ages before we notice them.
Ah, the insistent “piping voices of sprouting seeds”. You bring spring to life on the page.
Thank you!
My goodness this is exquisite! I especially admire; “Listen, the oaks are singing, leaves not ready to fall, give up their root and anchor to young buds, burnish-bursting where chaffinches peck.” 💝💝
Thank you, Sanaa 🙂
‘I listen where the thrush
pours water music above the stream’ – a beautiful sound poem, I particularly like these lines.
Thank you 🙂
Absolutely beautiful, Jane. I want to go on this walk with you for real.
“These mornings, I listen where the thrush
pours water music above the stream,
and in the bird quiet in the deep earth
where my feet tread,”
This stanza….I’m smitten.
Would LOVE to have you come to dVerse LIVE today and read this aloud. It’s just begging to be heard! Just come to the regular site between 3 and 4 for OLN…there’s easy directions and a link to click on. Would be so fun to see you and hear you read this! I’m hosting…consider this a personal invitation!
Thanks Lillian, and pleased you enjoyed the poem, but I’m not a joiner. Even if I was comfortable with the idea of being seen and heard (which I’m not), our internet connection is too feeble for visual link-ups. We have to be within two yards of the router to get it at all.
Okay…well just so you know. I always enjoy reading your words!
I’m pleased and flattered that you say so Lillian 🙂
I want to live in this poem!
One of the advantages of living in the countryside. In the spring anyway 🙂
😊