At the window, I watch a sparrow
strip berries from the hedgerow.
The magpie has ceased its chatter,
contemplating things that matter
before giving its opinions on the day.
And now the sparrow has flown away.
Except for a cat that gently purrs,
I sit here at my desk alone,
my fingers chilled to the bone,
poised to pick up the phone –
but no! Who would want to listen?
Instead I pick up my pen again,
ready to share this welcome pause
after a December of depressing rain.
Kim M. Russell, 16th January 2020
My response to dVerse Poets Pub Meeting the Bar: Soliloquy
Frank is our host for the first Meeting the Bar of 2020, and the challenge is to use the dramatic literary effect of soliloquy in a poem.
He explains what a soliloquy is in drama and that poems in general might be considered soliloquies.
He suggests that, in our poems, we may want to add a dramatic context, perhaps as a brief paragraph explaining the scene, and then let the poem express one or more characters’ perspectives on that context. Or, we could write a poem in which we talk to ourselves, weighing different alternatives, trying to find an explanation for something that doesn’t make sense, or simply expressing how we feel about something.
writing in north norfolk 
Very nice sound to this soliloquy. I especially liked the lines that ended with chatter and matter.
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Thank you, Frank.
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Thank you for sharing this welcome pause.
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🙂
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You can such an immediate scene. Beautifully done.
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Thank you, Carol.
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We’ve had a lot of rain as well Kim Especially for the desert. I love how you describe it all.
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Thank you, Linda!
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Soliloquy can house rhyme, meter, or blank verse. I like how you handled it. I imagined a page from the play about my life that I haven’t written yet.
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Thanks Glenn!
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I like your stream of consciousness. It’s immediate. It’s real.
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Thank you, Jade.
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The first stanza puts me right there with you….and I love looking out this window.
ah yes…..sometimes we talk best to ourselves in our journals….and most especially when the weather outside is or has been dreary. I smile with you as you pick up your pen. 🙂
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Thank you, Lill! There’s always something to see outside my window. Two cock pheasants had a a stand-off outside the window recently. They keep returning, are very comical and noisy! The cats keep their distance. 🙂
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Very nice Kim!
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Thanks Dwight!
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I like the imagery of the different birds.
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Thank you. I just hope they all turn up for the Big Garden Birdwatch next week!
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It’s good to capture those small moments, that seem little but have such an impact on our mood, our thinking. Lovely detailing, Kim.
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Thank you, Sarah.
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This is a perfect soliloquy and draws me. “Who would want to listen”? I write more and more because of this very reason.
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Thank you, Mary!
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I want to listen! I always enjoy what you have to say, Kim!
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You’ve made my day, Bev. Thank you!
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Like the rhyming in this, Kim, plus the casual way you set the scene. The line “who would want to listen” adds a poignancy and draws the reader into a larger story…beautifully done…JIM
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To be able to capture a small scene in such details, and tie it back to those rainy days of December… I feel like saying: “It might be cold, but it has been worse”… and having birds, a cat, and a pen is actually quite good.
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Thank you, Bjorn!
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This flows so wonderfully – beautiful and poignant.
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Thank you so much, Margaret!
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