The Birds of Light

The Birds of Light

By Diya Krishnan

 

I saw a mysterious aura with a glow

The sweet grass clung to a drop of dew

And the critters tweeted the feeling anew

And the once-gusty winds ceased to blow

And it was like the world had put on a show

And this beautiful glory was not seen by few

So many different kinds of birds gathered to coo

In a place that no people know.

 

But then we heard a crack

Among all the noise

That the great tree lost its charm

When it broke its arm

And we had no choice

But to fly all the way back.



In this poem, the tree is a metaphor for a good woman who happily accepts assigned responsibilities. Each bird, light by itself, represents an incremental pinprick of a chore or an injury. The euphonious first stanza hides the strain that the tree undergoes with the accretion of each bird. While no single bird can harm the tree, the cumulative impact of a large flock of birds cannot be ignored. The crack of the tree limb represents the final snapping of the good person’s patience. Just as the loudness of the splintering “arm” scares and chases away the birds, the anger of the put-upon woman can frighten those who caused the explosion.

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