Earlier this week I saw my first kingfisher–a belted kingfisher, to be more precise–on my walk by the Big Thompson river.
Observe nature–or photograph it
I felt very excited to see this kingfisher, so, of course, I wanted to photograph him. But while I fumbled to get my phone out of my pocket and get to my camera, the bird disappeared. That was annoying. Well, actually I was annoyed with myself for not just enjoying the moment. I couldn’t have gotten a very good picture even if I’d moved fast enough. My phone camera doesn’t take very good photos from that far away.
On the other side of the river, a great blue heron sat in a tree–observing my silliness? Probably not–perhaps watching the river flow.
A dream about the kingfisher
I wondered if I’d ever see another kingfisher. And 2 nights later, I did. In my dream. He was more colorful in my dream than he was in real life–bright blue with iridescent green and some black, too. In my dream, I held the bird in one hand and one of his wings in the other. I tried to figure out how to get the wing to reattach. The poor bird didn’t bleed or seem to be hurt–the advantage of dream injuries, I guess.
Seeing the kingfisher again made me curious about the symbolism of this bird. (It also reminded me of the Fisher King from Parcival).
He symbolizes peace, prosperity, and love. Who couldn’t use more of those? This bird also symbolizes caring well for children. I thought that one definitely applies to me. And feeling comfortable living near water–again, yes!
Also, did you know that the word “Halcyon” means kingfisher? I didn’t. Halcyon days–which I had at least heard of–denotes a time in the past of peace and prosperity. The ancient Greeks believed that the halcyon nested on the water around the time of the winter solstice and calmed the waves while their eggs incubated.
I love learning stuff like that.
The belted kingfisher poem
Belted kingfisher of blue-gray hue,
Where did you go while I fumbled
trying to take a picture of you?
Chunky, square-headed, crown-wearing wight,
perched on your throne/branch by the river
Where did you go on your unseen flight?
Or were you only a dream
of a mind seeking peace, like the Fisher King
Waiting to be asked, “What ails thee?”
to release you once again into flight
The blue heron knows
I saw her watching, higher than both of us.
But that’s a secret she’ll carry
into the blue above and the blue below.
Poetry Friday
This week, Jone Rush MacCulloch at DeoWriter hosts Poetry Friday. Check out her blog and see what other poets have to say–and join in, if you want!
I’ve seen so many wonderful birds since I moved to Colorado almost a year ago. Here’s another poem I wrote–about birds I saw on my walk in the nature area near my house and another about an eagle I saw on the farm road also near my house.
I hope you have a wonderful week.
As always, thanks for stopping by.
xoxo
What a fantastic bird! You remind me of me — I always try to take a photo, and sometimes I do, but then they are too small to see anyway! I esp. like this stanza:
Or were you only a dream
of a mind seeking peace, like the Fisher King
Waiting to be asked, “What ails thee?”
to release you once again into flight
Thanks, Tabatha–I don’t know why I feel the need to take a photo. If I really want to take photos, I have a better camera that I don’t like to carry on walks. I’d still probably miss the birds anyhow–I am not that quick on the camera-draw! Still, I think it’s because I still get excited when I see the birds–and that’s a good thing.
I love learning about birds and often think about writing a book of bird poems. I didn’t know about the symbolism of the kingfisher. We would see these on the pier at my parents’ home on a lake. I’ve never seen one on the bayou. Thanks for sharing your research and poem pairing.
Thanks, Margaret. They are such amazing looking birds–regal and kind of funny-looking at the same time. I hope to see more of them!
I love HEARING kingfishers before I see them!
I didn’t hear this one, but I didn’t know what they sounded like–I did listen to a recording of one, so maybe next time I will hear and see them!
I still remember learning about the kingfisher in first grade and then we went outside to see if we could find one. They are so cute! Love your poem.
Thanks, Rebecca. I don’t think there were kingfishers around where I grew up–I certainly don’t remember ever seeing one before. But I don’t remember ever learning about birds at school, either.
Well, I had a whole comment written and then my Internet snoozed. Gads. I love the inclusion of the heron keeping a secret. Thanks for this poem that reminds us to stay in the moment,
Well, I had a whole comment written and then my Internet snoozed. Gads. I love the inclusion of the heron keeping a secret. Thanks for this poem that reminds us to stay in the moment.
Thanks, Jone–I need to keep reminding myself!