Poetry Sunday: The Magnificent Frigatebird by Ada Limon
On trips to the coast, I have sometimes seen frigatebirds and truly they are magnificent! A bird that lives up to its name.
The Magnificent Frigatebird
by Ada Limon
Is it okay to begin with the obvious? I am full of stones—is it okay not to look out this window, but to look out another?
A mentor once said, You can't start a poem with a man looking
out a window. Too many men looking out a window.
What about a woman? Today is a haunting. One last orange
on the counter: it is a dead fruit. We swallow dead things.
Once, in Rio near Leblon, large seabirds soared over the vast
South Atlantic Ocean. I had never seen them before.
Eight-foot wingspan and gigantic in their confident gliding, black,
with a red neck like a wound or a hidden treasure. Or both.
When I looked it up, I learned it was the Magnificent Frigatebird.
It sounded like that enormity of a bird had named itself.
What a pleasure to say, I am Magnificent. And, too, they traveled as a team,
so I wondered if they named each other. Generously tapping
one another's deeply forked tail or their plumage, glistening with salt air,
their gular sacs saying, You are Magnificent. You are also Magnificent.
It makes me want to give all my loves the adjectives they deserve:
You are Resplendent. You are Radiant. You are Sublime.
I am far away from tropical waters. I have no skills for flight or wings
to skim the waves effortlessly, like the wind itself. But from here,
I can still imagine rapture, a glorious caught fish in the mouth of a bird.
They are magnificent in flight, yet highly piratical, gaining much of their food by stealing from other birds. I last saw them in Cuba earlier this year.
ReplyDeleteFunny how Nature works, isn't it? That it allows some creatures to thrive by sponging off the efforts of others...
DeleteThis is one of the poems I saved in my file of favorite poems. The poet came to Houston last spring. I wrote a little about her visit here, if you are interested: https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/2023/03/us-poet-laureate-ada-limon-visits.html
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link.
DeleteI'd love to see a frigatebird one day. They're such striking birds.
ReplyDeleteIndeed they are and I hope you do get a chance to see them.
DeleteI had to look them up. How fascinating, that the young birds learn to catch food released from the harassed birds midair by chasing each other holding sticks. Nature truly is a marvel. Eating habits aside, they truly look magnificent.
ReplyDeleteNature has her ways and I suppose it is pointless for us to question them.
DeleteYour poem beautifully captures the essence of longing and the search for significance through vivid imagery and personal reflection. The contrast between the mundane and the magnificent, like the Frigatebird's grandeur and the ordinary orange, adds depth to the emotional landscape. Happy Wednesday. Wishing you the best week. Excited for you to read my new post: https://www.melodyjacob.com/2024/09/hebe-donna-ultimate-care-guide-growing-tips-benefits-for-your-garden.html
ReplyDelete