Warblers
tribute to tim murphy
Warblers
Envy
The cock oriole perches
atop a catkinned limb,
whistling as he searches
for hens to mate with him.
Deep in the woods a veery
puffs up his creamy breast
to serenade his dearie,
outsinging all the rest.
Contestants in our orchard,
ambitious warblers throng,
tiny poets tortured
by one another’s song.
—Tim Murphy
Another poet hovers.
He knows what it’s about:
this importuning lovers
while beating rivals out;
This panoply of strutting,
each scrambling to be best!
This ritual of out-rutting
the undistinguished rest!
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