My inner voice is a male Asian Koel,
always unseen, always hidden
in heaps of leafy, nonsense thoughts—
I don’t often get to hear its mellifluous note,
as those gibberish leaves rustle and nod
making me caw, rattle and click—
I cannot be happy with the subsong I make,
with words of hoarse alphabets and voice
while all the while there’s a Koel within me—
I have seen those moonlit moments too,
when within a span of darkness and light
all leaves are still, all alphabets sleep—
peeps the blackish Koel holding in its beak
a rapturous joy I often dream to speak.
Posted for Susan’s Midweek Motif ~ Voice @ Poets United
Oh! Our outer presence is such a thick passage–a subsong– to that glory within. I had to listen to its song, its exuberance, and then reread, oh! To “dream to speak” is a sure and enviable knowledge. I love this poem.
fabulous.. love it.. the male koel inside and the overriding subsong…wow.
So beautiful – especially your closing couplet. Hmmm….my inner bird? Perhaps the gobble-cry of the raven, perhaps the cheep of a small sparrow. Perhaps the mourning dove.
We must be on a similar wavelength – I have birds in my poem too.
‘ love the lines:
‘I don’t often get to hear its mellifluous note,
as those gibberish leaves rustle and nod
making me caw, rattle and click’.
Love this especially; “peeps the blackish Koel holding in its beak a rapturous joy I often dream to speak”.. sigh… Beautifully executed!💞
A subsong. . and …..in heaps of leafy, nonsense thoughts— I love this imagery your words reveal. Beautiful.
There is that voice that song of a bird within us – but the subsong is often not enough, and we want to be that male bird who has power and strength in his beautiful song.
Anna :o]
kaykuala
peeps the blackish Koel holding in its beak
a rapturous joy I often dream to speak.
One dreams of a voice effective in getting things across. It may not even be a big voice but just a sing-song will do!
Hank
I often feel when I immitate a song bird that he looks at me and says “You must be joking, there’s no way you can fool my girlfriend”. Must be the same with you and the Koel.
Wow! My first encounter with subsong. Luv it.Nice write Sumana
Much💖love
I love this!!!! And always love to hear you speak!
Maybe my inner voice is a bird waiting to sing when I get the confidence.
I googled this bird. We have them here too. I thought I recognised that bird call. Thanks for that.
My inner voice is the screech of a cockatoo. Actually it is my outer voice as well. They match:)