New Poetry by Erina Booker

Awakening

Shafts of sound: insistent and clamorous

descending from alto to bass,

siren through the glass wall

and drop into the tiles beneath

it’s early morning, the sky

is indigo, not black, and feels

about 5 a.m. … we walk the few steps

to the balcony, and freeze before the two heralds

who woke us, sitting next to each other

claws over the glass panes

a pigeon pair of large black birds, currawongs

summoning us to their presence

I know there’s white on the undersides

of their tails, but can’t see it

neither can I see the egg-yolk yellow

of their eyes, just an onyx gleam

they shrill loudly in unison

immobile, parallel

both eye-ing us

doppelgängers by sight and size and sound

they have my full attention:

a perfect Tarot card

of divination

thrust before my face!

one currawong, a former visitor

responded to a whistled call, pecked at

the dog’s kibble, paraded his magnificence

of strut and strafe, his fearlessness

his desire for company

now he has brought his new mate to introduce:

he has reached through the barrier of biological

class to something greater, deeper, and privileged

he has grasped our commonality of living spirit

and in so doing has made us familial

now there is an icon in my mind –

a sacred painting of this pair of birds

jet black against a gold-flecked sky of

lapis lazuli, who sang loudly enough

to rouse us and tell us their news

thank you for that, you two,

I approve

I approve with all my heart!

 

- © Erina Booker 2022

Erina Booker is a Sydney-based poet. Her life revolves around poetry, from publishing books and contributing to journals, to recitals at public events and presentation of seminars. She contributes ekphrastic poems to various galleries. She has a Bachelor of Arts (Literature & Composition), & a Post-grad degree in Counselling. Words, & the pauses between, are her interests. Her work may be found on Amazon and Lulu Press.