We who with songs beguile your pilgrimage / And swear that Beauty lives though lilies die, / We Poets of the proud old lineage / Who sing to find your hearts, we know not why ... (James Elroy Flecker)

13.4.21

Dancing Birds

 Dancing Birds


I want to write a poem of dancing birds –

brolgas or lyrebirds maybe, or

bower birds presenting their fine display.

They call too, in their many voices

some shrill, some chirruping softly,

others with great swooping cries.


These are their intimate rituals,

love songs and lovers’ dances.

You might say love play, and it is,

but love is also serious for birds.

They dance and sing as courtship.

It’s the season to mate and they mean it.


It’s all about marriage and babies.

It’s a race every dancer runs to win –

twirling, extending their wings.

Do they know their numbers are 

dwindling? Their habitat shrinking?

That’s a crime with none to convict.


I’d like to write a poem of dancing –

of dancing birds who continue

to court and mate and procreate

as if they would always be

singing and spreading their wings.

As if I could always stay watching.



Written for Weekly Scribblings #65: Bird is the Word, and for April prompt 12 at Poetic Asides: Write a six words poem (using these words: convict, great, play, race, season, and voice).

17 comments:

  1. The twist in the middle pulled at my heart. It's so easy to take their songs for granted. How many think of it as just part of the background sounds of their day rather than a battle cry of survival?

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  2. A joyful poem of dancing birds, Rosemary. I haven’t seen any around here, we probably don’t have them in the UK and they sound like tropical birds, but I will be Googling to see what they look like now you’ve made me curious. 😊
    I love the lines:
    ‘…love songs and lovers’ dances.
    You might say love play, and it is,
    but love is also serious for birds.’

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    1. They are Australian birds. They do occur in the tropics but also in other parts of the country. YouTube has pictures of them dancing – each of the ones I've named.

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  3. The mating rituals are some birds are so beautiful, and very much dances. Such a sad ending.

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  4. Thanks for reminding us that some birds have elaborate dances to attract mates....the miracle of nature. Sadly we continue to encroach on their territory.

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  5. I was remined of Sir David Attenborough's dancing birds:
    https://youtu.be/rX40mBb8bkU

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  6. A beautiful, and important dance. We have some "show off" type birds here in Canada - wild turkeys everywhere - apparently their dance was very successful.

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    1. Ha, we have our own version here, not throughout Australia but in this region, almost to pest proportions. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_brushturkey

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  7. To stay and watch the courting and mating of birds is one reason I'm loath to die. There are other reasons, of course, but the birds are right up there.

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  8. Many years ago my wife went to a course of Bird recognition in Australia. So almost every weekend she was searching for birds all over to add a tick and I was attempting to get a photograph to confirm the species if in doubt. Often in the wild we would sit quietly and let the birds come to us which was a delight. Several times I had to help birds to be set free when stuck in branches or fencing. Birds also loved sewerage ponds which did have its downside!

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  9. I too wonder about the missing birdsong ~

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  10. We have herons and egrets, some more show-offy than others, all sort of funny-looking birds and amusing to watch. Easy to make pets of, they seem to be rebounding from DDT--but they're not very satisfactory pets once tamed.

    Then we have the cute little songbirds...who don't know they're cute. They seldom really hurt each other but they think they're real warriors.

    I've read about bowerbirds. They sound as if they'd be interesting to watch. And lyrebirds always call to mind that poem about how "Some things ought to inhabit nowhere but the secret reverence of the heart"...

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    1. I didn't recognise your quote, so I looked it up. Ah, I should have known! I think Judith Wright was and remains Australia's greatest poet. And that's such a lovely poem.
      Do look up lyrebids, bower birds and the wondrous brolgas on YouTube to see their dances (Judith W's sentiments notwithstanding).

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  11. That "no one to convict" really pulled at me.
    Missing birdsong would be so sad. I must look
    up the birds you mention.

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