There are days, most days in fact, that I settle for a single interesting observation about the world. Sometimes I get it first thing in the morning.
Waking before 5 a.m., I forced myself up out of bed and began the coffee making process. Outside to the west was pitch black. The electric kettle sprang to life with the press of my finger. All was still and quiet in the dark. The patio door was open, with the screen door closed. There was almost a slight chill.
Against my normal habit, and partly from the chill, I went back to bed and crawled under the warm covers while the water boiled, knowing the beep-beeping kettle would serve as an alarm to keep me from falling back to sleep.
As I put my head on the pillow I heard not only the simmering from the next room, but also a birdsong intertwined into it.
What bird is that, that begins singing at the first sign of daylight? I asked myself. It was pleasant to hear its song, coming in five seconds articulated bursts, overlaid on top of the simmering, as if they had started at exactly the same time, and in some kind of orchestrated tempo, like a flute on top of an oboe.
Whatever bird it was, it had the morning to itself for the moment. Drinking my coffee in my office I could hear it through the window. Probably I've been hearing it every morning and finally noticed it.
3 comments:
This kettle reminded me of a long ago poem that I may or may not have written. I had to dig it out while questioning my sanity. It was or was not written from the back porch on our Bell (before the million dollar interlopres) when I was experimenting with the voices of famous poets.
WILLIAMS AND SHE RISE EARLY
Rather notice love
How the deeply dewed lilac
Gather in Dawn light.
Notice how the hill
Tumbles into opalescent valley
To swim Night's fog.
Notice that the rest
Begin to stir
As the third kettle sings.
Usually at that time of day there are plenty of birds singing, too. We just hope no trees fall, but instead just continue to sway and whisper with their toes firmly clutching the earth.
Darn, messed up the cadence. After notice the hill should follow behind this house. And then the tumbling bit. Maybe no difference. Readers choice, say it outliud both ways.
Its printed on a dot matrix, and worse for living in a box
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