Tuesday, February 01, 2011

Tuesday Poem - Tawny Frogmouth by Earl Livings

Tawny Frogmouth

Stunned by this sudden cave
Of glass, metal gadgets, straight edges,
The floored bird swivel-head stares
At our locked gaze, hunches so still
I think oven mitts unnecessary
For capture. We breathe together.

Its wildness springs into flight.
Wings flail the ceiling, that sound
Like books falling from shelves.
The bird shudder-drops, lands
With its amber-bulb eyes inches
From the doorjamb. We coo and shoo.

It hops sideways, senses the wide
Dark beyond the door we opened
For cool breezes, dark rectangle
In the dark house it did not see
But may remember. Spreads itself
To the night and all scents of home.

Lifts itself on a single beat.
Rises swiftly towards distant trees.
We stare at each other, the wonder
Of wildness so easily trapped, gone,
Close the door, turn off the lights,
Listen to the silence, to our longing.


Earl Livings is an award-winning Melbourne based poet and writer who currently teaches Professional Writing and Editing at Box Hill TAFE. 'Tawny Frogmouth' was shortlisted for the 2008 Rosemary Dobson prize and previously published in Avant. His first collection of poetry, Further than the Light was published in 2000 by Bystander Press.

Check out other Tuesday Poems here.

6 comments:

Mary McCallum said...

HI Catherine - this poem resonates with me - the capturing of a wild thing. It is unsettling and exciting all at once. Welcome to Tuesday Poem, Catherine. I am looking forward to your poems.

Mary McCallum said...

Just checked out a 'Tawny Frogmouth' - I thought at first it was a type of frog (we used to keep frogs and once had a bull frog living in our pool uninvited), but then realised the poem was about a bird and googled. Turns out it's mistaken for an owl but is in fact a type of nightjar. Some people call it a morepork over there, we have moreporks which look pretty similar but I understand they are little owls.

lillyanne said...

What a great poem this is - such a precise evocation of the encounter. And welcome to the Tuesday poem blog!

Elizabeth Welsh said...

Welcome to Tuesday poem, Catherine! It is lovely to have you join us in our poetry pursuits. I know this subtle coaxing, this 'coo' and 'shoo' of floored birds. Earl captures it with such studied detail. Thanks so much for posting!

Elizabeth Welsh said...

Welcome to Tuesday poem, Catherine! It is lovely to have you join us in our poetry pursuits. I know this subtle coaxing, this 'coo' and 'shoo' of floored birds. Earl captures it with such studied detail. Thanks so much for posting!

Helen Lowe said...

Fantastic poem, Catherine; I love the juxtaposition of adjective-nouns into verbs! Welcome to the Tuesday poem Blog.