Celtic Myth
I was born in January and according to the Celts, the little wren is my spirit animal. I can identify with that. I am little and often seen darting about beneath the undergrowth.
The Little Wren
I first wrote a poem about the little written in 2020, during lockdown. I became familiar with a wren in a local wildlife garden. It was in free verse. I rewrote it as a waltz wave syllabic poem to meet Colleen’s poetry challenge. I’ve enjoyed the challenge, as it forced me to edit a lot.
The Waltz Wave was developed by Leo Waltz. It is a syllabaries form with a title and 19 lines. The pattern is: 1/2/1/2/3/2/1/2/3/4/3/2/1/2/3/2/1/2/1. I wrote the Little Wren as a double waltz wave poem.
The Little Wren
A
flick of
leaf
A flash
of light on
the ground
in
out of
sight
under a bush,
shush; then, I
see the
wren.
It darts,
stops, starts, hops
here, there,
hith-
-er, thith-
-er,
whith-
-er the
hedge?
Tail stands
proud. To pause,
then goes
along
the edge
of leafy
shrub and hedgerows
to sing in
high vol-
-ume.
How can
a bird so
small, have
so
big a
CALL?
Lesley Scoble, June 2023
Wren Day
I filmed the local wren taking a bath in a pond in a wildlife garden.
While I film, I ponder by the pond…
I ponder on the fact that once upon a time they hunted the beautiful little wren. To celebrate St Stephen’s Day or ‘Wren Day’ on 26th December. On a day of wild revelry, Wren-boys would skewer them on poles or pitchforks. It was lucky to be handed a feather from the luckless little songbird. Can you believe it?
