#bird-understander

[sittingonfilm]

Bird-Understander

BY CRAIG ARNOLD

Of many reasons I love you here is one

the way you write me from the gate at the airport so I can tell you everything will be alright

so you can tell me there is a bird trapped in the terminal      all the people ignoring it       because they do not know what to do with it       except to leave it alone until it scares itself to death

it makes you terribly terribly sad

You wish you could take the bird outside and set it free or       (failing that) call a bird-understander to come help the bird

All you can do is notice the bird and feel for the bird       and write to tell me how language feels impossibly useless

but you are wrong

You are a bird-understander better than I could ever be who make so many noises and call them song

These are your own words your way of noticing and saying plainly of not turning away from hurt

you have offered them to me       I am only giving them back

if only I could show you how very useless they are not

· ⬩ · ⬩ ·

via poetryfoundation.org

[poem-today]

A poem by Craig Arnold

Bird-Understander

Of many reasons I love you here is one the way you write me from the gate at the airport so I can tell you everything will be alright so you can tell me there is a bird trapped in the terminal      all the people ignoring it       because they do not know what to do with it       except to leave it alone until it scares itself to death it makes you terribly terribly sad You wish you could take the bird outside and set it free or       (failing that) call a bird-understander to come help the bird All you can do is notice the bird and feel for the bird       and write to tell me how language feels impossibly useless but you are wrong You are a bird-understander better than I could ever be who make so many noises and call them song These are your own words your way of noticing and saying plainly of not turning away from hurt you have offered them to me       I am only giving them back if only I could show you how very useless they are not

Craig Arnold (1967-2009)

Craig Arnold commented on his poem: With Bird-Understander I wanted to say not, as an Elizabethan courtly sonneteer might have said, 'Look, I made your words into poetry, aren’t I fabulous?' but rather 'Listen, what you said to me, it’s already poetry, better than anything I could write, and it would make me happy simply to have you see that.

[godsopenwound]

Of many reasons I love you here is one

the way you write me from the gate at the airport

so I can tell you everything will be alright

so you can tell me there is a bird

trapped in the terminal all the people

ignoring it because they do not know

what to do with it except to leave it alone

until it scares itself to death

it makes you terribly terribly sad

You wish you could take the bird outside

and set it free or (failing that)

call a bird-understander

to come help the bird

All you can do is notice the bird

and feel for the bird and write

to tell me how language feels

impossibly useless

but you are wrong

You are a bird-understander

better than I could ever be

who make so many noises

and call them song

These are your own words

your way of noticing

and saying plainly

of not turning away

from hurt

you have offered them

to me I am only

giving them back

if only I could show you

how very useless

they are not

— Bird-Understander by Craig Arnold

[kafk-a]

[...] and write to tell me how language feels impossibly useless but you are wrong

Craig Arnold, from Bird-Understander 

[engenderandendear]

Bird-Understander

“Bird-Understander” by Craig Arnold

Of many reasons I love you here is one the way you write me from the gate at the airport so I can tell you everything will be alright so you can tell me there is a bird trapped in the terminal      all the people ignoring it       because they do not know what to do with it       except to leave it alone until it scares itself to death it makes you terribly terribly sad You wish you could take the bird outside and set it free or       (failing that) call a bird-understander to come help the bird All you can do is notice the bird and feel for the bird       and write to tell me how language feels impossibly useless but you are wrong You are a bird-understander better than I could ever be who make so many noises and call them song These are your own words your way of noticing and saying plainly of not turning away from hurt you have offered them to me       I am only giving them back if only I could show you how very useless they are not

[beatupoldguitar]

You are a bird-understander better than I could ever be who make so many noises and call them song. These are your own words -- your way of noticing and saying plainly of not turning away from hurt

This is one of the best things you’ve sent me.

[internalfeeling]

Of many reasons I love you here is one the way you write me from the gate at the airport so I can tell you everything will be alright so you can tell me there is a bird trapped in the terminal      all the people ignoring it       because they do not know what to do with it       except to leave it alone until it scares itself to death it makes you terribly terribly sad You wish you could take the bird outside and set it free or       (failing that) call a bird-understander to come help the bird All you can do is notice the bird and feel for the bird       and write to tell me how language feels impossibly useless but you are wrong You are a bird-understander better than I could ever be who make so many noises and call them song These are your own words your way of noticing and saying plainly of not turning away from hurt you have offered them to me       I am only giving them back if only I could show you how very useless they are not

“Bird-Understander” by Craig Arnold 

[fluttering-slips]

Bird-Understander

Of many reasons I love you here is one

the way you write me from the gate at the airport so I can tell you everything will be alright

so you can tell me there is a bird trapped in the terminal      all the people ignoring it       because they do not know what do with it       except to leave it alone until it scares itself to death

it makes you terribly terribly sad

You wish you could take the bird outside and set it free or       (failing that) call a bird-understander to come help the bird

All you can do is notice the bird and feel for the bird       and write to tell me how language feels impossibly useless

but you are wrong

You are a bird-understander better than I could ever be who make so many noises and call them song

These are your own words your way of noticing and saying plainly of not turning away from hurt

you have offered them to me       I am only giving them back

if only I could show you how very useless they are not Craig Arnold