The students drowsed and drowned
in the Teacher's ponderous monotone -
limp bodies loping in the wordy heat,
melted and run together, desk and flesh as one.
swooning and swimming in a sea of drone.
Each one asleep, swayed and vaguely drifted
with lidded eyes and lolling, weighted heads,
were caught on heavy waves and dimly lifted,
sunk slowly, ears ringing in the syrup of his sound,
or borne from the room on a heaving wilderness of beds.
And then on a sudden, a bird's cool voice
punched out song. Crisp and spare
on the startled air,
beak-beamed
or idly tossed,
each not gleamed
like a bead of frost.
A bird's cool voice from a neighbour's tree
with five clear calls - mere grains of sound
rare and neat
repeated twice
but they sprang the heat
like drops of ice.
Ears cocked, before the comment ran
fading and chuckling where a wattle stirred,
the students wondered how they could have heard
such dreary monotones from a man,and
Such wisdom from a bird.
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Comments
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AEWSOME
From guest Mike Ruch (contact)
Great Absolutely Great. The typos don't matter, it's the thought that counts, if any should hat this peom because of the typos i think they should forget about it and get one with the real meaning of the poem. -
Teacher
From guest Jono Brinsky (contact)
I am a man who loves this poet and quite frankly this is his best poem so far. Thanks for letting me see it old chap. -
pretty good
From guest molly (contact)
this is ok site but i would like to see better im in class at school atm im in yr7 and i just got called a stuck up cow by a chick who thinks she is beeta then everyone else i need help -
Question
From guest Daley (contact)
What is Your purpose for the piece is it to portary the sound of a bird??? -
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To Guest Daley
Since the poet is no longer of this world he cannot respond to your question.
In my opinion he is simply making a comment about the voices of some teachers (and I was a teacher) and the sharp urgency and impact of birdsong.
Jim
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cute
From guest anna (contact)
cute! like it- but mistakes!!!! lot of em - bird's cool voice (bird's is bird is) -alseep (asleep) -how they cold have heard (cold should be could) still love it -
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Thanks for the message guest anna.
There were a few typo's such as missing the possesive apostrophe in neighbours but the one in bird's was NOT a slip as that too was possesive.
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nice
From guest Lesly (contact)
i thought that in the second stanza on the second line it was LOLLING not looling...its a good poem thought very nice how colin thiele makes the comparison between man and the bird. isnt a classroom meant to be a place of wisdom? yet the bird has so much more...nice -
I saw this as a two-part poem.
The slow, heat affected, even boring classroom scene as the first - then the quickened pace as the little bird brought life back into the classroom, the lines are shorter and the pace much quicker - as though the poet, kids and teacher had been splashed with cold water.
It's lovely.
~Von~
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