A Little Bird Told Me
*I often go back and read my poems and revise them to reflect my current sentiments about a topic. The little bird represents so many things. It is in a way a deity of sorts, a messenger fro the universe to help us make sense of tragedy and violence. Perhaps I am also a dreamer. But I like to think that there is hope for humanity.
A little bird told me
“Listen only to what wise people have to say.”
It spoke to me In a very alarming way.
I have always listened carefully to those I thought were very smart.
But all I heard was actually a lot of stupid stuff.
I have always tried the dodge the darts,
poisoned with hatred, bigotry and words that were really rough.
I pleaded with the universe to help stop the madness,
and declared enough is enough.
I turned to the little bird and explained my confusion,
But It flew away suddenly
as if to say,
What did you expect from your delusion?
Sadly, even birds seem to understand what is going on today.
They know about disrespect
and I think they even get
the meaning of reject.
I am watching for that little bird to come back to me.
The little bird that told me
“Listen only to what wise people have to say“
This decision is not linked to a New Year’s resolution because I do not believe in making resolutions. The other day, coincidently at the beginning of this year, I was thinking about the fact that I am totally bilingual and that I write poems and stories in Spanish. Some pieces are direct translations but many I originally wrote in Spanish. I found a few in notebooks I had stored away in the attic. As I read through the notebook I thought about my mom and dad. They were so proud of their heritage and native language. I know my dad must have been smiling from heaven. Thus, I decided to include a poem written in Spanish every month. I hope that you will spread the word. I will include a translation as well.
