A caged bird sharpened its beak
on cuttlebone.
Did it wonder about the cuttlefish,
decomposed, washed onto a beach?
Was it waiting for an artist to carve it
into something new and beautiful?
Maybe a mould for a brooch or pendant —
or a bird.
Kim M. Russell, 6th April 2026
It’s Quadrille Monday at the dVerse Poets Pub; De is our host and we are ‘Writing Down the Bones’ in quadrilles, those poems of precisely 44 words (not counting the title), using one word provided by our host.
Today, De wants us to use some form of the word bone in our poems. She has given us some ideas of bony words and phrases: boneless, small/large boned, lazybones, herringbone, boneyard, bone dry, skull and crossbones, wishbone, trombone and funny bones. She has also given examples of poems by Carl Sandburg, T.S. Eliot and Mary Oliver.
writing in north norfolk 
Beautiful, Kim, Bird as unexpected artist. 😉
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Thank you so much, De.
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A creative imagining, Kim.
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Thank you, Lisa.
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delightful – and how the poem comes full circle with the bird references.
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Thank you, Laura. The circularity mirrors the cage.
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Nice one
much love
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Thankyou, Gillena, and much love to you.
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Great stuff! Love the concept of fishbird…
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Thanks Ron!
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I have a bone to pick, “maybe a mould for a brooch or a pendant or a bird”
Awesome last line!
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Thank you, Cara!
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Kim, love that you picked cuttlebone and the reference of birds.
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Thank you, Trudessa.
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The fact that it’s a “caged” bird — that’s set me wondering about the nature of its wondering. And the freedom that art gives. A rich quadrille, Kim.
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Thank you, Dora, for close reading and such a thoughtful comment.
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I liked this verse:
Was it waiting for an artist to carve it
into something new and beautiful?
And the ending of maybe a bird.
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Thank you, Stew.
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Interesting reflections, beautifully expressed. (I’ve always been fascinated by cuttlefish.)
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Thank you, Rosemary. Me too.
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our little budgie goes through a lot of those cuttlebones
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I used to wedge them in the bard of my grandparents’ budgie’s cage. He plays a role in my children’s novel.
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A wonderfully meditative and creative thought – Jae
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Thank you, Jae.
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Love where you too this, Kim! Definitely food for thought.
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Thank you, Punam!
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