View from a Roof

Each morning we sit here, a pair of old boots
grumbling and preening grey feathers
after a reveille of tweets and hoots
has awakened us, whatever the weather.
Anticipating a spring full of song,
I rasp a throaty coo, try to sing along
but in the corner of my beady eye I glimpse
grey squirrels bouncing on the garden fence,
flicking tails, teasing cats, shimmying up trees.
I shift my weight on a roof tile and concede
that I’m a grumpy pigeon warming in the sun,
content to observe the rest of nature having fun.

Kim M. Russell, 2017

View from a Roof

Image found on rspb.org.uk

My response to dVerse Poets Pub Poetics: From Nature’s Point of View

Mish says it’s official, spring is here, and she would like us to give nature a voice by writing a poem from the perspective of one of nature’s gifts: a tree, a wildflower, a leaf in the wind or even through the eyes of a wise old owl. She wants us to think beyond personification, to get into character and show the world through new ‘eyes of nature’, together with scents, sounds and textures. There are many lessons to be learned from nature, so we could give our element of nature an opinion and let it speak through our poetry. We just have to remember to write from nature’s point of view.

45 thoughts on “View from a Roof”

  5. We re-seeded the lawn this week, and I swear every pigeon in Sussex is feasting on that seed. They’re not my favourite birds at the moment. Love this poem though. A great laugh.

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  7. maybe your grumpy pigeon will usurp the grumpy cat shots that rule on Facebook; but after my smile, I am reminded of my own aging grumpiness, as ague & arthritis twist my smile upside down.

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    1. I think we all get a little grumpy as we get older and our sense of humour changes accordingly. I love cats, but even I avoid the grumpy ones on social media. I have real cats of my own – much more fun!

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  9. This made me laugh out loud! Perfect image to boot! No pun intended…haha
    It made me think of animal status. Some of them just may have a bit more fun than others. It was interesting to hear this grumpy ol’ pigeon’s perspective.

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