Perched upon a split-rail fence,
American Robin
The gray-brown bird with rusty breast
Glances left, glances right,
His beady eyes, inky night.
“Trill-ill-ill,” the song he sings,
A friendly sound to welcome Spring.
Tail feathers spread, a fragile fan
Work up and down like a dutiful flagman.
His act repeats with joyful glee.
“Trill-ill-ill,” the merry melody rings he,
The gray-brown bird with rusty breast
Perched upon a split-rail fence.
©B. Donaldson, 2018. All rights reserved
one writer's journey 
This is pure loveliness! Your circular form is great. And of course, I’m terribly partial to robins.
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Thank you for the input. I wasn’t “trying” to use a circular form, but it just happened. 🙂
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So beautifully expressed 🙂 a beautiful bird too.
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Thanks for stopping by!
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Yay! I love the robin! Spring is finally coming! 🙂
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Thanks for the comment. Feel free to give me tips to help me improve.
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Love the way you circle back to the first line, capturing both a small moment and a spirit of springtime hope!
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I love the way you frame this poem w/ the image of the perched bird beginning and ending the verse. The picture is beautiful.
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Thanks for the comment. The ending two lines just seemed to “fall into place.”
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What a great poem!! You describe the bird so vividly that I could see that very bird in the picture just through your words. I love that you describe his song, his movements and his appearance.
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Thank you. After I saw this beautiful sight and heard the robin singing, I tried to capture it. The hardest part to me was his song. Not perfect, but that was the best I could do. Thank you for the comment.
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I read your post earlier today, but did not have time to comment at the time I read it. Your poem captured the essence of spring and the return of birds with their songs. Thank you!
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Thank you. I’m not sure why birds-their appearance, their chirping, their activities-remind me so much of spring.
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Maybe because winter is mostly silent…and can be beautifully so, but when we can hear life outside our homes, it tells us we are not alone in the world. Their chipping is a sign of hope and renewel to me!
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I saw the bird doing his little spring “happy dance” and I tried to capture it. Thanks for the comment.
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