The Sonnet of Whistles and Trills

May 19, 2009 at 6:42 pm | Posted in poetry, writing | 24 Comments
Tags: love poetry, poetry, writing

I miss you
though the poet’s obsession with birdsong persists
after all needs are met and each moments eternal,
forest animal noises nocturnal rejoice
in duplicitous infinite variations on bliss
a stolen and sparkling tinily smiling quick kiss.

Slide trombone and oboe song occur below,
light curls luxuriate in thighs and smiles
divide your quick anticipation
of one almost destination,
a long slow song of tides disguised
on skin so shy it rises at the merest sigh,

like this, the least unsubtle synonym
for I remember once the simplest kiss,
now missed.

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This piece has been podcasted here.

Comment by Paul— May 19, 2009 #
I just listened to the podcast of this and it gave me goosebumps. The assonance sounds like dark kisses.

Comment by Sack Posset— May 19, 2009 #
Couldn’t listen, but it was beautiful to read. Lovely.

Comment by Tina— May 19, 2009 #
Hello again! Reading this piece has my ears with such noise and texture! Lovely, lovely stuff … as always

Comment by Tracey— May 19, 2009 #
the podcast is great, including your elongated alveolar fricatives:)

Thank you for one of the most unpretentious and moving poems i have read in ages.

Comment by will— May 19, 2009 #
Great to hear it spoken — an intriguing poem of synonym and sound.

Comment by Phil Thrift— May 19, 2009 #
Oh Paul, this is so beautiful.

Love this –

in duplicitous infinite variations on bliss
a stolen and sparkling tinily smiling quick kiss.

Comment by Simonne— May 19, 2009 #
could not hear it too, yet so beautiful. love poems that envlove music in and out of them.

Comment by Utopian Fragments— May 20, 2009 #
This is a wondrous sneaking snake of a poem, Paul. And hearing you read it is a completely different experience than reading it. Because, in your voice, under all those birdsong words of quick kisses remembered rests the snake, hidden, sibilantly silent in its own beautiful noise.

Really, this is exquisite, not simply as a poem, but as what some poems can become – incantation, enspelling, song.

Comment by Elizavetta— May 20, 2009 #
Elegant and beautiful. Just perfect.

Comment by poeticgrin— May 20, 2009 #
yr generosity with words and emotions comes thru forcefully here. great stuff.

Comment by jason— May 20, 2009 #
Oh Paul, how honest & bare. I always get stuck with first lines, and this simple one is spine-tinglingly effective. Thankyou for opening this up to us.

Comment by Maxine Clarke— May 20, 2009 #
I second all of the comments on this.

Comment by Paul M. Peterson— May 20, 2009 #
After all these comments what can I say? maybe repeat the title adding that I liked them a lot those whistles and trillsss…

Comment by Annamari— May 20, 2009 #
Paul, your work just thrills me, it just does. Fly kiss.

Comment by harmonie22— May 20, 2009 #
Oops, posted comment too soon, breathtaking beauty of the poem aside, there is an incredible control over the pace and internal rhymes, I can’t wait to hear it on podcast…

Comment by harmonie22— May 20, 2009 #
alto, heroin, fast, chord, bebop, ornitology, birland.

Comment by mariana— May 20, 2009 #
Wow, thankyou all for your wonderful comments. I am speechless with gratitude.

Comment by Paul— May 21, 2009 #
The poet’s obsession with birdsong thrills me. One reason for getting up in the morning. Sublime!

Comment by Selma— May 21, 2009 #
Exquisite!

Comment by Señorita— May 22, 2009 #
so what they all said. like ditto n stuff. oh, and bravo. there aren’t enough bravo’s dished out anymore.

Comment by breathenoah— May 22, 2009 #
rotfl, at least some subtle, beautiful, the sound felt like another song to me though, beautiful too!

Comment by Mental Mist— May 24, 2009 #
mm. lovely!

Comment by petitgamine— June 22, 2009 #
One of my favorite originals by Scribe Squires. Worthy of its repost.

Comment by Bryan Borland— January 18, 2010 #