Bird Woman Falls is Weeping

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Bird Woman Falls ~ Glacier National Park ~ June 28, 2013 ~ Photo by Brenda Warren

Bird Woman Falls is Weeping

As light bends shadowed lanes across glacial faces,
my insignificance tumbles thoughts of self
through the hollow bones of birds
that hop in puddles through highway tunnels.

Unstable walls of ice edge stretches of the road,
forcing fallen streams of winter across our drive.

Beyond the vast and wild expanse,
Bird Woman Falls weeps showers of diamonds
over stone cliffs into a small steep meadow,
a glittering emerald island,
greened by melting glaciers
that carve a hanging valley
to feed Bird Woman’s flow.

The highway pivots mountains left and right,
a dizzying dazzling retreat for cars Going to the Sun
to bear witness to Bird Woman’s weeping
on this road that bridges canyons to heaven.

Brenda Warren 2013

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49 thoughts on “Bird Woman Falls is Weeping”

  2. Such a beautiful description of an awesome place of nature along with your thoughts. Feeling insignificant amidst such beauty…a wonderful feeling, I think. Good to feel things so far greater and beyond ourselves. Probably not explaining this as eloquently as I’d like. Gorgeous image. I was on the ride with you.

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  3. Brenda, I know that feeling of insignificance when encountering true grandeur. I felt it the first time I was in a boat at the foot of Niagara Falls… this is a lovely use of the Wordle, hon, and I was inspired to do it, too! Hope you like the fact that YOUR Wordle inspired the first chapter in what may be a pretty good story!! Love, Amy

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  5. Oh, my. THIS:
    “my insignificance tumbles thoughts of self
    through the hollow bones of birds”

    I love the double meaning here. The hollowness of self…yet only hollow bones can fly.
    Beautiful, Brenda.

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  9. Hi Brenda, I could feel you being there, on the road, on your holiday. Really enjoyed it, made me think of driving thru canyons in America, places I’ve never been. Fresh discoveries. 🙂

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  10. What wonderful weaving you’ve done here Brenda … “Bird Woman Falls is Weeping” evokes such strong imagery and emotion and you’ve managed such rich story-telling with few brush strokes and that grand photo…(thanks for the back-story as well; it is good we know that such wonders are on the endangered list…) I can see why you added heaven as a possible extra word … I tried to insert it several places in my own poem, but the muse wasn’t having it…

    http://thepoet-tree-house.blogspot.ca/2013/06/every-day-without-him.html

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    • Nice to see you here, Gerry. Thanks for whirling with us this week, and for stopping to share your thoughts on my work. Hopefully we’ll see you next week, too!

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  15. Have been to Glacier National Park twice and both times had to turn back because the Road To The Sun was closed by snow. That was a disappointment, but not enough to dent the joy I felt just knowing I was actually there and seeing all that awesome beauty. Thank you for reminding me, your words, your own joy refresh my spirit this morning. Really like the line about the hollow bones of birds. I envy you,

    Elizabeth

    Wild Gift

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    • Thanks, Sabra. I like the bone bit, too. It’s one of those phrases that came on its own. I considered it, reconsidered it, and left it there. It reminds me of the Counting Crows song where Adam Duritz wrote/sings about heaven being in the belly of a black winged bird. Maybe it arose from that connection. Wherever it came from, It draws my attention, too.

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  20. Thank you for taking me to Glacier with you! It is a place I have still to get to and this morning I feel like I was there ! I love the first stanza and how it places the observer squarely in the realm of ‘insignificance’ Wonderful poem! Have a great time!

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  24. The words today will take most of us to mountain tops and wow!! what a beautiful sight it presents, be it anywhere in the world. Your experience, the gorgeous picture and beautiful words enhances our enjoyment of unseen places!!

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