. . . On the willow's highest branch, monopolizing Day and night, cheeping, squeaking, soaring, The mockingbird is imitating life.
All day the mockingbird has owned the yard. As light first woke the world, the sparrows trooped Onto the seedy lawn: the mockingbird Chased them off shrieking. Hour by hour, fighting hard To make the world his own, he swooped On thrushes, thrashers, jays, and chickadees -- At noon he drove away a big black cat.
Now, in the moonlight, he sits here and sings. A thrush is singing, then a thrasher, then a jay -- Then, all at once, a cat begins meowing. A mockingbird can sound like anything. He imitates the world he drove away So well that for a minute, in the moonlight, Which one's the mockingbird? which one's the world? -- Randall Jarrell
Thanks, s. Meant to mention that. And remember: April is Poetry Month. :-)
You can hear Jarrell reading the poem at
mockingbird
This is awesome. Thanks, reesetee!
. . . On the willow's highest branch, monopolizing
Day and night, cheeping, squeaking, soaring,
The mockingbird is imitating life.
All day the mockingbird has owned the yard.
As light first woke the world, the sparrows trooped
Onto the seedy lawn: the mockingbird
Chased them off shrieking. Hour by hour, fighting hard
To make the world his own, he swooped
On thrushes, thrashers, jays, and chickadees --
At noon he drove away a big black cat.
Now, in the moonlight, he sits here and sings.
A thrush is singing, then a thrasher, then a jay --
Then, all at once, a cat begins meowing.
A mockingbird can sound like anything.
He imitates the world he drove away
So well that for a minute, in the moonlight,
Which one's the mockingbird? which one's the world?
-- Randall Jarrell