Every month, I post one of my poems (paired with one of my pictures), sharing its origin and some of its essence. Here is my Poem & Pic of the Month for May 2015:
Birds of Prayer
by Patrick Bishop
What did St. Francis say to the birds?
"You are beautiful!
Look at your exquisite feathers!
So full and light,
with just enough mystery
to hide you in the brush.
They allow the air to float beneath,
and the water to roll off above.
Warming your soft body in winter.
Falling off in spring for your baby's bed.
That would be quite enough to be a miracle, and yet there is more!
Your voice is unlike another.
It is music and light and life to my ears!
Sing to me the simple joys of your days and nights.
Song on wings! Raised high for all to hear!
You are God's very tenderness.
Allowed to voice his love,
and fly to places far and wide
to be witness to delicate, sweet love.
Taken care of in all ways."
I think the birds embraced the words of St. Francis
because, in that moment,
he was one with them,
and his voice carried a song
of their shared essence.
Background
It was a bright, beautiful, crisp and clear spring morning in mid-March 2015 on the patio of my Whitehall rental. As I sat and soaked in the sunshine, the birds were singing. My thoughts went to the story of St. Francis giving his sermon to the birds. As I wondered what he might say, this poem flowed out.
The Picture
Again, sitting on a patio, but this time in Grand Rapids. I was enjoying my lunch and the birds were flitting and flying about. I grabbed my camera and took a few shots. This little guy sat on a nearby branch allowing me to capture his image. I told him, "You are beautiful!"
© 2015 by Patrick Bishop; all rights reserved.