In this reflective poem, the speaker recalls the delicate beauty of chickadees at their feeder during winter in Amherst. Margaret, a figure in the speaker's life, is symbolically connected to these fleeting moments, as the birds bob in and out, bringing warmth and life against the stark cold. The imagery of the sublime contrasts the chaos of nature with the peacefulness of shared memories. The speaker's struggle with patience highlights the ineffable beauty of waiting for moments that are gone as quickly as they come. The work is part of Stanley Plumly's posthumous collection coming in 2025.
One wearies of the sublime, the great deep thing, the red-tailed kiting hawk sliding down the sky to make the kill, the sky itself changing on its own.
Margaret sitting still, pieces of the sun falling in the shadows all around her, while my bright chickadees are braced against the wind.
All winter in the snow depths just outside you live in separations made of glass-I'd never have the patience to hold out my hand and wait out a bird.
Especially when the ice mixed in with snow would slap the double glass, shake it a little, and start to sing.
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