General Poetry posted October 25, 2022


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Acrostic: Wyoming Starlings Ingratiate Themselves to You

Wyoming Starlings

by CrystieCookie999

Wyoming hardly feeds the starlings' cause,
Yet they thrive in cold scarcity, feast
On their own raucous noise.
Murky harbingers of black-winged fortune,
In cold scenery they thrive, live for months,
Neatly crowded, poised for each cherry-blue sunrise.
Glinting eyes remain curious but cocky.

Starlings hone in on every bird feeder,
They balance on each smooth fence, like
Angels, but tattered, black, more than a little
Ragged, but talkative, friendly,
Linked to each other by same oily feathers, leaning
In perfect unison against each other,
Neatly informing each other of imminent snow.
Granted, ice hardly fazes their blunt fearlessness.
Scrappy, they remain like oil on water,

Ingenious, independent, they do not mix or mingle,
Never speak well of other birds,
Gathering in congregations more like gossip groups,
Razz and tease other starlings,
As if they wished to repeat middle school
To establish eternal patterns of prating.
In summary, they are no strangers to exclusion
And segregation, short shrifts, or ice-encrusted looks askance.
They are bustling bundles of energy,
Eager to spill the black beans.

Then winter frost sidles in, almost their friend.
How they find strength in numbers, beat back numbness,
Even nullify November winds,
Make small talk through December's deep freeze,
So that January's thick-cut rind of ice
Enjoins only one starvation diet that
Lessens after February's formation of ice-walled resistance.
Varieties of freezing do not stymie them,
Ease in defying dwindling light marks their resilience.
Starlings appear ravishingly roguish in spring.

To birdwatchers, their strut and stance
On perches, or while they scavenge branches, bushes,

Young trees, or plants, where these birds seem
Ornithologically industrious,
Unitedly loud and lustrous in stubborn stamina.

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Acrostic Poetry Contest contest entry

Recognized


Free verse poem. Thanks to avmurray for a great starling close-up.
Some of the less common words are defined at
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary
ingratiate: to gain favor or favorable acceptance for by deliberate effort
harbinger: one that announces or shows what is coming : forerunner
prating: talking long and idly: chattering
short shrift: to give little or no attention or consideration
enjoin: to direct or impose by authoritative order or with urgent admonition
stymie: to present an obstacle to, stand in the way of
Pays one point and 2 member cents.

Artwork by avmurray at FanArtReview.com

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