Call and Response by Patricia McCue
Image | SHVETS production
Call and Response
Trills and whistles at first light.
Are there patterns in this music?
A secret language
or just the sound of joy?
Each summer musicians gather
to learn ancient tunes passed on by ear
from our ancestors.
Mountains covered in fleeting clouds -
a fitting backdrop for fiddle music.
As the sun approaches its high point
early morning birdsong evolves
into a more muted soundtrack
accompanied by an audible breeze.
There is beauty in simplicity.
A basic jig, unadorned,
rivals more complicated reels.
A song sparrow of muted colors
has one of the sweetest calls.
“Let’s start with a jig,
a lovely old tune.”
He plays a phrase.
Fingers move deftly across strings.
We answer - not quite there.
“And again.”
We mimic his call.
Catbirds in a circle defending a nest.
The exchange continues.
From fiddles and assorted beaks,
exquisite notes soar in unison
carried Home by the weeping willow.
This poem was first published in Otherwise Engaged: A Literature and Arts Journal (Volume 12)
© Patricia McCue
 |
| Patricia McCue |
Patricia McCue is a retired teacher of middle school science. Her poems have appeared in Woods Reader, Poetry Breakfast, Nature of Our Times and various anthologies. In her free time she studies and plays Traditional Irish Music on the violin.
Comments
Post a Comment
Please be supportive and kind in your comments.