Mourning Mantra by Connie Livingston-Dunn

Last night

Nightingale’s Mantra

Sang me to sleep.

I am reminded of the story

Of the Nightingale

And the Emperor

Who gave up

The beautiful song

Of a real bird

For the musical contraption

Of a toy

That mimicked

Nightingale’s song.

There is a certain correlation with

Our present time

Of fakery and foolery

Where the sounds of TV

And electronic toys

Imitate real life

Leaving it stale

And empty

When all we need to do

Is listen

To nature

In pure form.

This morning

I awoke to

Birds singing

Mourning Dove cooing

And Woodpecker

Hammering away

In the woods.

Photo of a Mourning Dove sitting outside my studio door. To hear the nightingale’s song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INzqozVbYL8 The Emperor and the Nightingale: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOqkSnUuj6Y

About the nightingale, who apparently doesn’t live in Tennessee: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_nightingale

Adapted from an original poem published at cowbird.com.