Serenade
a free verse poem, environmental poetry
The following poem was written after hearing a peacock calling in the night. A video has been included above if you are unfamiliar with the song of a peacock. If you’ve never heard this in the wild (as some peacocks have escaped captivity in Florida and are now a growing non-native population there), as my family did often hear when we lived in Florida, it is hard to describe the way it arrests you and captures your entire attention. The non-native species always appeared to me as apparitions, magical beasts far from their true home.
Now that we live back in North Carolina, I hear the peacocks occasionally from someone nearby that has them for pets. Though I have never seen them, I do sometimes hear them. Each time I am taken back to those magical moments in Florida. Enjoy the following poem — a snapshot of awe.
Serenade
the wailing halts my soul,
mid-breath
melodic, piercing,
two quick crescendos
arc through the trees
