poetry friday roundup is here!

~ jama

“The bluebird carries the sky on his back.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

WELCOME TO POETRY FRIDAY AT ALPHABET SOUP!

Please help yourself to warm blueberry muffins and green tea. 🙂

Something I look forward to every Spring is spying that first flash of blue alighting on a bare branch outside my window. Bluebird!

If the sun’s out, the bluebird’s feathers dazzle. He must know how handsome he is. Before the trees have budded, this show of color offers hope and such joy. It’s amazing how just one little bird in a natty blue coat can transform a landscape.

The bluebird has been considered a harbinger of happiness by many world cultures for thousands of years. On this Mother’s Day weekend, here are bluebird poems by Emily Dickinson and Mary Oliver. I love the shared delight of these two poets, born 105 years apart.

Wishing you the gift of sweet birdsong amid the din, a spot of beauty to light the way, and many happy moments.

*

by Deidre Wicks

 

THE BLUEBIRD
by Emily Dickinson

Before you thought of spring,
Except as a surmise,
You see, God bless his suddenness,
A fellow in the skies
Of independent hues,
A little weather-worn,
Inspiriting habiliments
Of indigo and brown.

With specimens of song,
As if for you to choose,
Discretion in the interval,
With gay delays he goes
To some superior tree
Without a single leaf,
And shouts for joy to nobody
But his seraphic self!

(1896)

 

*

by Suren Nursisyen

 

WHAT GORGEOUS THING
by Mary Oliver

I do not know what gorgeous thing
the bluebird keeps saying,
his voice easing out of his throat,
beak, body into the pink air
of the early morning. I like it
whatever it is. Sometimes
it seems the only thing in the world
that is without dark thoughts.
Sometimes it seems the only thing
in the world that is without
questions that can’t and probably
never will be answered, the
only thing that is entirely content
with the pink, then clear white
morning and, gratefully, says so.

~ from Blue Horses (Penguin Press, 2014)

*

Now, please leave your links with the dashing Mr. Linky below. I hope you enjoy flitting from blog to blog, sampling all the poetry goodness laid out for the taking. Thank you for joining us this week!

 

 

*

by EO Prints

 

“A man’s interest in a single bluebird is worth more than a complete but dry list of the fauna and flora of a town.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

 

DON’T FORGET TO THINK BLUE.

🐦 HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!! 🦋

*This post contains an Amazon Affiliate link. When you purchase something using a link on this blog, Jama’s Alphabet Soup receives a small referral fee (at no cost to you). Thank you for your continuing support!

**Copyright © 2018 Jama Rattigan of Jama’s Alphabet Soup. All rights reserved.

37 thoughts on “poetry friday roundup is here!”

  2. Love this uplifting post and the gorgeous bluebirds that are visiting! I’m familiar with Mary Oliver’s, “What Gorgeous thing,” for I have this gorgeous book, but I did not know Emily Dickinson’s “The Bluebird,” and I thank you for it! Thanks too for hosting with this sea of blue hues–delightful!

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Both of these poems are so wonderful, and both are new to me. I agree with Mary Oliver that so often nature is the antidotes to those “dark thoughts” and the questions. Thank you for hosting this week! Ruth, thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com

    Liked by 1 person

  5. I’m still anxiously awaiting the first bluebird sighting of spring. Both poems you shared are new to me, and I especially love the Mary Oliver poem–
    “his voice easing out of his throat,
    beak, body into the pink air
    of the early morning….” Ahhh…She delights me as much as bluebirds! The art you’ve shared is also fabulous! Thanks for a great post and for hosting this week!

    Liked by 1 person

  6. “Sometimes
    it seems the only thing in the world
    that is without dark thoughts.” — we need that!
    I checked to see if I had any blue poems and I wondered if you’ve already seen “Why I Am Happy” by William Stafford.
    Keep the faith!

    Liked by 1 person

  8. I love that you continue with your blue wave, Jama, and this time with those lovely bluebird poems and art. I grew up with that special bluebird but here in the west, we have the mountain bluebird, which I only see up high. Yet it is a sight of blue, also, one that brings smiles. Thanks for hosting!

    Liked by 1 person

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  11. Everything about this post is wonderful. You put together two of my favorite poets talking about birds, as well as such a wonderful artwork. Such a lovely start for me this Friday.

    Thanks for hosting.

    Liked by 1 person

  13. I haven’t seen a bluebird since I was a child in New York. I’ve been told they can be found in New Hampshire, but I have yet to see one. I live in hope! Thanks for sharing those gorgeous paintings.

    Liked by 1 person

  15. A sense of springtime celebration and happiness associated with bluebirds makes for an uplifting post Jama. The two poems top it all off.
    ‘Be like the bluebird who never is blue, For he knows from his upbringing what singing can do.’ Cole Porter.
    Thanks for hosting Jama.

    Liked by 1 person

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  18. Jama, thank you for hosting and providing us with the beauty of the bluebird as one of the iconic figures of spring. “A man’s interest in a single bluebird is worth more than a complete but dry list of the fauna and flora of a town.” ~ Henry David Thoreau While I am not filling my post with bluebirds, I am speaking about spring and providing a new digital image poem with a reminder for our poet community to add their offering to my spring gallery, Sense-sational Spring.

    Liked by 1 person

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  21. Now there are some BLUES that make me happy, rather than sad! Thanks for the gorgeous post, and for hosting us all. Happy Mother’s Day!

    Liked by 1 person

  23. Such a delicious blue-filled post today, Jama. Thanks for hosting! The muffins are delicious. I added an “Ode to Blueberry Muffin” poem to my post just for you! Last month a spotted a lovely bluebird while out for a walk — https://bit.ly/2IvlYcp — and it was a challenge coming up with just the right term for the shade of blue. While you are waiting for a bluebird, I am waiting for a hummingbird in my PF post today. Cheers!

    Liked by 1 person

  24. Hurray for bluebirds and their poems! Emily Dickinson and Mary Oliver are a wonderful pairing for today–and they match the brilliant blue skies we’ve finally enjoyed this week!

    Liked by 1 person

  25. Dear Jama, I think that Thoreau line is one of the most beautiful lines ever, and it has long been a favorite. Thank you for sharing it today! Definitely thinking blue around here in this bird wonderland I live in now… Thank you for sharing and for hosting! xo

    Liked by 1 person

  26. Our Western Bluebird population has declined and the Ecostudies Institute is working to re-establish it. What beautiful birds they are! And if you want to hear their sweet song, here is a link (click on “Listen” once you get there):
    http://www.seattleaudubon.org/Birdweb/bird/western_bluebird

    For now, I’ll have to be content with Stellar Jays if I want blue! Thanks for posting those beautiful watercolors, Jama, and for hosting the round-up.

    Liked by 1 person

  27. Oh, those bluebirds! I’m swooning. And, combined with these poetry choices … I am feeling anything but blue. Heavenly. Thanks, Jama. What a way to start the day.

    Liked by 1 person

  32. Pure loveliness! We have bluebirds nesting in our boxes, and I just ordered more boxes from a young 4-H boy. Too, my childhood home had a dining room with walls covered in Royal Copenhagen plates – both Mother’s Day and Christmas. Such good memories come from blue. Thank you for hosting with your traditional grace and charm. Much love and Happy Mother’s Day, Jama! xx

    Liked by 1 person

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  35. Thank you for sharing these poems. I especially enjoyed all of the watercolor paintings. I am not sure if Florida has bluebirds–I haven’t seen one in ages. We have the scrub jay though. And I have a cardinal pair that visits my back porch.

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