NaPoWriMo (Day 7): A bird in the hand

 
For the month of April, I’m writing a poem a day from prompts on https://www.napowrimo.net. You can click on the headlines (Day One, etc) to view/add comments. There’s also a list of participants’ sites below the site header.

Day 7

Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem that argues against, or somehow questions, a proverb or saying. They say that “all cats are black at midnight”, but really? Surely some of them remain striped. And maybe there is an ill wind that blows some good. Perhaps that wind just has some mild dyspepsia.  Whatever phrase you pick, I hope you have fun complicating its simplicity. Happy writing!

 
A bird in the hand
 
A bird in the hand is worth two
in the bush, so they say,
but some would argue the other way
and seek the bigger prize.
 
Yet wouldn’t you rather a blackbird
sit in the palm of your hand and sing,
its soft feathers fluffing, rustling,
the body shuffling forward for prominence,
almost asking you for a request,
always in tune, always off the cuff,
rhyme and reason matched in song,
these four toes cold to the touch,
obsidian eyes reflecting you.
 
With chin angled high, notes fly
from staves on a song sheet,
sending a letter into the sky
only you can read.
 
Copyright Vickie Johnstone, April 7, 2022