Damn Magpie Stole My Thread

[PClem]

Thanks, Donner. Poems do seem to show up in the most unlikely places. Other times they seem to duck behind a door when you think you had them pinned down.

On the Shores of Black Water Lake

We stood, my kid and I, eyeing an eagle
eyeing a loon. He bet the loon
would soon be a duck
out of water, a duck on a platter
of down and skulls, a duck tartare
for mama's darlings to feast upon.

Don't fuck with a loon, is a lesson
well-learned, I warned, and we watched
the eagle dive and talons grasp the hapless
paddler who neatly dove, pulling
the eagle down under. They popped up
coupled together, still

the eagle befuddled and weighted
with water was unable to fly, reduced
to awkward butterfly stroke. A tremolo
call made one loon, two; one to pull
down, the other on top. Then it was all
bubbles rising and a funeral wail
of loon song.

[PClem]

At this point in the month, anything counts as a poem...

Swamp Tour

We possess a talent for placing trust in weather predictions and packed accordingly, in spite of experience warning us otherwise. The morning of the four-hour Atchafalaya swamp tour was twenty degrees colder than all of our clothes between us could handle. Add thirty-five mph winds, waves coming over the bow of the seventeen-foot skiff, a couple large lattes and an orange juice prior to departure and the third generation (Cajun - French and English!) expert guide's admonishment - “houseboats are allowed in some spots, but are checked regularly for working septic systems, no dumping allowed, environmental regulations strictly observed,” and comfort was pitched early, overboard. We miffed Cousin Al – why y'all paying a guide, you wanta tour a swamp, I can take you through swamps no one even knows about – in favor of an expert birder. Only to find we had paid for Cousin Al without the beer cooler. “You see that hawk?You got your Red-tails and your Square-tails. That one there is a Square-tail.” Yeah, but what's its real name? “That's it – SquareTail” and “Oh, there's them Whistling Ducks, squealers, you been asking about. They do like their escargot. That's what they're after now. Makes them good eating. Can't decide if they look prettier out here or cooked” and, the coup de grace, when he nearly crashed the boat for a glimpse of “What's that little flash of blue? Is it? I've never seen one of them. A purple bunting!”

[Jee Leong]

Quick-witted and desperate loon! The eagle going down is a memorable image. Swamp tour is very exotic to me. Love the humor of "we had paid for Cousin Al without the beer cooler."

[prooftheory]

The close of Swamp Tour is really funny after having read the earlier poems.

I'm not sure whether you meant to have any political implications in On the shores of Black Water Lake. It would be easy to interpret the eagle as representing the United States. I would normally interpret the Loon as being Canada but then it doesn't really make any sense, unless you just mean that the US shouldn't attack Canada, which is pretty obvious. Even if you weren't specifically referring to the US the larger message that we shouldn't mess with things unless we are sure we know what is going on, even when we have superior fire power is a good one to take. Thanks for the poems.

[Steven]

'On the Shores of Black Water Lake', I enjoyed the drama of this poem, struggle between life and death of two birds. I did also read a little symbolism of the USA represented by the eagle and the loon as canadian. It made me imagine the borders of the two countries when you used the phrase, 'coupled together'. Very interesting.

[BrianIsSmilingAtYou]

"On the Shores of Black Water Lake" tells a chilling tale, for which a number of human corollaries might be found. Bravo for the loons, though! Poor eagle.

Still reading.

BrianIs AtYou

[PClem]

Thank you all for stopping by. Regarding Black Water Lake - this was pretty much taken from a true event, gleaned from one of my ornithological periodicals. My familiarity with the loon, of course, is as my home state's bird, rather than Canada's national bird, but it works either way. Naturally, I was aware of the symbolism but I didn't have to work for it. Sometimes these things are just dropped in your lap. And thank God stuff just keeps dropping. Don't know how I would have made it this far, otherwise.

Dislocation

I don't know what, precisely, it is
I fear. Everything and everyone appears

much larger than they are – young women
in their little lacy skirts paired with ballet

flats or cowboy boots, all the flavor choices
of gelato, sorbet and coffee in Spring

green and turquoise sky paper cups,
served in tiny spruce or aspen-

themed restaurants, sprung
amid red-dirt derrick towns.

Body piercings and tattoos of
Harry Potter and Alfred Hitchcock

movies are the new protest songs
and all the music of today

sounds like The Beatles
or Pink Floyd.

[Hare]

I've been thinking all day about that poor Eagle, drowned by a couple of loons.
Thank you for that. I need a tearful smiley thingy.

[PClem]

Hare - glad you enjoyed. And I just keep getting further behind...

Mourning the Loss of the Last Passenger Pigeon

Imagine Martha, engineered to live
not as an individual set of wings,
but as grand design. They described her
kind as a slate-colored living wind,
apocalyptic when it descended
on a town. Hardly sport, you could kill
them by swinging a stick. At least,
that's what they said. Audubon scoffed
at the notion they could be hunted
to extinction. They gorged on acorns.
They defended themselves on theory
of predator satiation. Martha never laid
a viable egg. I wonder if she noticed
she was the last. I wonder if,
as the last two cells of her body rubbed
against themselves, before closing
shop, they mourned the loss. Do
Polar Bears miss the ice?

[5th column]

I have to add to the chorus for On Blackwater Lake. It might not be imagined by that doesn't detract from the strength of the final image, the telling of the tale or the writing. Lovely

[PClem]

Thanks, Neil, glad you enjoyed!

Letter to the Oklahoma Geologic Survey Following Twenty Plus Earthquakes and No Official Record

To Whom it May Concern:

I would like to draw your attention to the fact that since the second largest energy company in the state has begun fracking operations

Did You Feel An Earthquake?

Yes, 23 in the last four hours.

Fill out the following form. You must submit a form for each alleged earthquake you wish to report.

Time of earthquake: Um, the first one was 8:01 A.M.
Did you feel it: Well, yes.
What was your situation: As in?
Were you driving a car, in a building, out of doors, operating a machine, if a machine, was it say, a blender or heavy machinery, engaging in target practice, if target practice, what type of weapon were you using and did you wear earplugs, were you having sex, if having sex, what position did you assume and was it during orgasm? Is this really relevant and if it is, what if I was doing one or more of these things simultaneously? Is there an option for checking more than one box?
Were you asleep: No.
Did others feel it? Yes.
Who? Well, my husband and my dogs.
The dogs don't count. Tell them that.
Effects:As in?
Free hanging objects? Are you referring to objects that were “free hanging” prior to the first quake or objects which are now free hanging?
Sounds: Well, the sound of my husband's screaming as he disappeared into the gaping hole was pretty loud. Wait, that was the 17^th quake at 11:21. You mean this one, right?
Shaking Strength and Duration: I haven't stopped and I keep missing the keys.
Was there damage to the building? Hard to tell. I can't see it as it went down with my husband.
How did you respond? Fucking badly. What do you expect?
Have you considered other possible explanations for the event you “claim” is an earthquake, such as a sonic boom or car backfire? You're kidding, right?
Do you believe in conspiracy theories? Are you referring to the ads you run for the oil and gas industry on your website?
Can we have your contact information, please? Why? We would like to use it for our data bank. For what purpose? That is confidential. Uh, no. Fine. Our experts have pinpointed your location and gained access to your credit card information.What, wait...

[PClem]

I had this thought that I could take this idea and turn it into something more but I am sick to death of messing with it and, at this point, getting caught up, however badly, is the only thing...

American Sentence

Stop children what's that sound– a loon wails – notes of a seventies protest song.

[Sorella]

Laurie,
Wonderful poems on birds and wildlife in general (including Cousin Al, that Birdwatching dropped in your lap poem is a hoot!!! They broke the mold, right?) Passenger Pigeon -- yes!! But again, I am bowled over by your way with loons, even in an AS they work wonders in your hands.

Sorella

[PClem]

Sorella - you are just so sweet. Are we there yet?

For Sale

Passed from sister to brother
to daughter, one mostly filled
shopping bag of stamps, undervalued.
No Penny Blacks, no planes flown,
upside down. Condition: Mint
to torn. Note: dead heads of state
make excellent collage.
Note one old olive tree
bends over Palestine. Note:
Bahawalpur loved its cows
from 1924 – 1949. Note: Belgium
couldn't decide. Note: China – trains
and Mao. Note: Exotic flowers suited
for framing. Also, Poland. Note:
Red swastika needs new home.

[W.G.McLeod]

Win – It’s never about who’s right. It’s just about hearing those three sweet little words. (HA!)

Even the Blankets – I can’t read this with a unbiased mind. My dryer died in the midst of NaPo (Right before Easter, fabulous!). It took a week and a half to get a replacement (at so much long as ridiculous story). I do love my new set though and the idea here that the clothes just wanted to taste spring breezes.

Photobomb – Is a tight little window frame. Fun.

Cure-All for Ferals – Ferrellgas – nice word play! The tuning of his response ‘who will light the first match’ is classic.

It was So Cold – ‘Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus yelled time for some Zydeco’. What! You crazy people with your alphabet poems blow my mind!

Eating My Way – There’s far too many good food poems all over the NaPo this year. Seafood gorged duck sounds tasty to me. Thank God for spandex!

Hacked – Waiting with bated breath for a follow-up regarding how Facebook will improve on this ‘experience’. (HA!)

After Ten Days – Love all the details. There is no good cup of coffee in a convenient store though.

Daredevil - is an ominous plane flight.

Cousin Al – What a hootenanny of a character! And the boat guide.

Moonshine – which I have never had but heard similar rumors. I think I’ll pass after this elaboration. It takes a poet to get to the real of the matter and what a service you provide!

Panic – Hit it right on the head!

Black Water Lake – I never knew that could happen but somehow I’m not surprised. Crazy!

Earthquakes – ‘Shaking Strength and Duration: I haven't stopped and I keep missing the keys.’ and ‘Was there damage to the building? Hard to tell. I can't see it as it went down with my husband.’ - Snarky sarcasm with a purpose. I love it!