I was listening to a program about the importance of the written word: the really written word, made by a human being pushing a pencil along a sheet of paper . I was inspired to share a poem I wrote this morning after listening to bird song from the garden through an open window.
The physical words have an added significance for me, as they are increasingly hard to make. I have Multiple Sclerosis and hand writing can be almost impossible for me some days, likewise typing . Voice dictation does not allow for poetry . The whole point of the unexpected word perplexes the machine and it will change and change it again until it has made dull prose out of something that I wanted to catch the light unexpectedly, like the song of the blackbird.
I hope my writing is good enough for you to read is all senses of the word!
Cathy's real country garden 
Lovely poem, and your handwriting is perfectly legible. X
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I am glad you enjoyed it. There is something different between a neatly typed up poem and something handwritten- even if the viewing of it is electronic!
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You grabbed me at “through an open window!” In our frigid conditions, just the thought of having an open window was enough to make me sigh…the poem was just icing on the cake! Thanks.
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We have gone from -12 to + 15 in just a few days and the contrast is amazingly. I will send you some sunshine and birds song across the ether!
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You have caught the thrill that the blackbird’s song gives us in your poem. Different thrill in the morning and the evening, but always special. Amelia
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I am glad you liked it.
I am sure there is real magic in their song!
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Cathy, this poem is pure joy. I find it especially meaningful knowing the background story and the time, effort, and care that went in to creating this meditation. Thank you for sharing your story. I also appreciate the words and the image they create as I read each line. A couple of days ago I was in my garden and heard the most amazing symphony of sounds. There were dozens of red-winged blackbirds trilling and singing with such gusto. I took a video and watch/listen often. Your poem gives words to and enhances my experience of that day. Thank you for writing this poem. ❤️
Would you please provide a name or link to the program you reference?
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I am glad you enjoyed it and it connected with your own wonderful experience. I have looked hard to find what the radio program was that I was listening to but I think it was in a compilation on BBC radio 4 extra, I think it was the wonderful Steven Fry in Fry English Delight or the like.
X
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I’ll check it out. Many thank yous! x
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00lv1k1/episodes/guide
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What a happy place to fall into. Thanks!
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This is so lovely, Cathy, highlighting the different phrases of a black bird’s song and the magical power of its melody. It is interesting to see real writing in a post and what neat handwriting you have. Perfectly legible! Sadly, I’ve got a doctor-like scrawl. I’ve been trying to decipher some old records on an ancestry website and even though some of those look amazingly regular, I can’t make out the words at all.
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I am pleased that you enjoyed the poem. I was childishly pleased with my handwriting and I think I wanted to share it as much as the poem!
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In the beginning was the bird…wonderful piece Cathy.
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Very kind. I loved the St Jerome poem. You made me look and read closely and see the tiny staircase!
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(It’s a mad piece isn’t it?).
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But precise
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Lovely post and poem, which is perfectly readable. I sympathise as my handwriting is not as good as it was due to arthritis in my fingers which means it’s getting harder to hold a pen to write properly. xx
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I find the right pencil easier than every pen I have tried. Glad you liked the poem 😀xx
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Definitely good enough to read in all senses of the word, Cathy. The poem is very evocative, I could visualize the scene.
I often begin writing my essays in longhand before I type them into the computer. The process seems more natural and I can organize my thoughts better that way.
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I agree , handwriting is organic and promotes real thought.
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I endorse all of the above. Thank you. Our blackbirds haven’t yet got their voices back, but they are trying hard and practising.
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The warm weather is putting everything into better spirits!
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