Good morning! (It is only 9 AM as I am blogging this day.) By the way, I still am unable to format these writings the way I wish to. The poems should not appear as double spaced. I need to call and talk to someone about that….until I do, please bear with me.
So far I have only posted my own writings, but today I want to share a poem that took my fancy. The poet is Rudolfo Anaya. He is a well-known New Mexico writer, most famous for his novel “Bless Me Ultima.” In 2015 he published a book of poetry titled “Poems From the Rio Grande”. The following poem is from that book.
Aspen Magpies
In Aspen the magpies are fat and sleek,
and their feathers are always in place.
They mind their manners, but they do
rush to fight over roadkill.
In Aspen the magpies play golf and ski.
Each wears a tux to corporate dinners.
They do their feathers at a unisex salon,
and pay with American Express.
In New Mexico the magpies are a rowdy bunch.
They spice roadkill with green chile.
They squawk in Spanglish,
cursing tourists who drive too fast.
New Mexico magpies are cousins to
Coyote, Roadrunner, and Rattlesnake.
These tricksters from the bird world
remind us that we could wind up as roadkill.
In Aspen the magpies practice trickle-down
economics: I got mine, you get yours.
Once a year they invite poor crows to
dinner, but not at their condos.
New Mexico magpies share skinny roadkill:
guts, nerves, and bones. After lunch they
tell stories and wonder what it would be
like to visit their cousins in Aspen.
Today is a “2-fer” day. Here is a poem of mine which I wrote when I was a freshman in college. (1961) ……….
Squirrel
Little furry ball of fun–
you climb and frolic to the top,
the very tiptop of a tree
and balance precariously
on a feeble branch.
You swing by hind feet,
quite a gymnast you !
little show off.
Yes, that’s the top;
you can’t go any farther.
Oh, you’re running down–
chased by a bird?
