Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Carol at The Apples in My Orchard for Roundup.
Are you awake on this Friday morn (or whatever day/time this post finds you)? When I was a kid we would blast this song on the record player to wake our parents on Saturday mornings. It always always makes me smile!
But this post is about another kind of awakening.
Before I get to that, big shout-out to Melissa Stewart, who included me and other new-moon-book-creators in the celebration of her beautiful new book THANK YOU, MOON: CELEBRATING NATURE'S NIGHTLIGHT (Knopf BYR, illus. by Jessica Lanan). Here's the post, that also includes a pic of the NASA flight patch vest I created! All these books will get you feeling the moon-love, that's for sure!
Okay. Back to awakenings. You know how sometimes you have a sudden and intense revelation? A message from the universe saying "This way" or "Leave this"? We use the phrase "it was a wake-up call." We talk about how one day we "woke up." Of course all this suddenness is really an illusion for things that have been working inside us for days, years, decades. Finally, it's time to make a change.
That's what my ArtSpeak: LIGHT poem is about today. Not all goodbyes are sad. Some are long overdue. Others are joyous reminders to carpe diem.
To every thing there is a season, yes? Maybe right now it's your season to sleep, or stay, or, like Rooster, to FLY! Thanks so much for reading.
And Then, One Radiant Day, Rooster Sang Himself Awake
Goodbye barn,
goodbye hen.
See you never again!
Path is lit,
sky is alive–
time for me to fly!
Irene, thanks so much for this song. I had a rough Friday morning and it was just what I needed to feel uplifted. We are using your poem for our Poetry Friday analysis today. I'm amazed at how many elements my students could find in this short poem: metaphor, rhyme, and repetition. They wrote poems I'll email to you.
ReplyDeleteYour poem seems to be cousins (oddly enough) with Tabatha's Bride of Frankenstein poem today! Two characters with plenty of chutzpah!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun song! I love your theme of awakening. You’re right – it’s time for rooster to hit the road!
ReplyDeleteI just love the entire premise contained in your title: rooster sang himself awake. Talk about a paradigm shift - and re-thinking life's possibilities!
ReplyDeleteSo this post has me wondering if you are shifting or awakening in someway, Irene. Maybe I'm off base, but I just get that feeling from it. The rooster exhibits the courage we all need to have! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWhy have I never heard that song before? So fun! Hooray for rooster's awakening -- beautiful painting too.
ReplyDeleteYou have reminded us that goodbyes come in different guises, Irene. You are right -not all are sad, rather, they are timely. It provokes me to think about such moments across my life. i recently said goodbye to a poetry project I started at the height of Covid. It now seems appropriate to let it go. I know how the rooster in your poem feels. I must admit, the song you shared is not one I am familiar with.
ReplyDeleteYes, that feeling of waking up...it's a beautiful feeling. Fly, little rooster, fly!
ReplyDeleteI saw about Melissa's new book, along with yours, love more moon books! And love that you seem to have seen that fence opening and the rooster standing by, ready to FLY! Happy weekend, Irene. We have snow!
ReplyDeleteI've been waking up to a new way of thinking about some things lately so I'm right there with that rooster!
ReplyDeleteIrene, what a sweet title for your light poem today. Oh, I love it so much. And the poem too. Congrats on the MOON shout out. Lovely!
ReplyDeleteSing yourself awake and fly—terrific, if not now, when… Great Moon post too and VEST, thanks for all! P.S. I featured a moon in art on my post this week…
ReplyDeleteIrene, I took a detour once you said Melissa Stewart mentioned your book. How fabulous! I know Melissa and think highly of her work so I retweeted what she tweeted. Then, I found your rooster poem. We all need change around this time of year. I plan on enjoying Halloween with the little grands. I am looking forward to seeing their costumes so tomorrow will be a good day to fly around in my gnome witchy outfit with them.
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