Tscherr, tscherr – high in the canopy
red-eyed vireos, olive green and white,
grey crown edged in black, declare
their territory, engage in a
harangue back-and-forth.
Pit-pit-pit – from tree and shrub undergrowth
wood thrushes, russet and spotted breast,
first defend their nests, then, with a
high-pitched ee-oh-lay, praise
the vestige of summer.
Chur-tee, chur-tee – among the odds and ends
on the ground – ovenbirds,
olive-brown and white, crests of orange tufts,
hop and chatter in a
warbling crescendo of mimicry.
These songbirds weave grass, spider silk, twigs
fused with saliva and mud to enfold and protect
their young. Each fledgling listens,
learns domestic songs,
a distinct dialectic pitch,
passed down year after year.
We – grandfather, father, son –
together in this refuge of woods,
swept up in the cascade of call and song,
stand silent and listen.
—
Blaine Marchand lives on the unceded territory of the Algonquin – Anishinaabe people, known as the Ottawa Valley. Hi’s poetry and prose has appeared in Canada, the US, New Zealand, Pakistan, India, France and Ukraine. He has seven books of poetry published, a chapbook, a children’s novel and a work of non-fiction. Active in the literary scene in Ottawa for over 50 years, he was President of the League of Canadian Poets from 1991-1993.
