What’s a feather
without its wing?
Just the last remains,
of a raptor’s lunch
What are wings
without its bird?
Just the failed ambitions
of never moving south?
Is it death?
Is this darkness dawn or dusk?
What is hope
without a lover’s loss?
Landscape with the Fall of Icarus by Pieter Bruegel the Elder
Today De hosts the Quadrille at dVerse, and the word we write to is “wing”. When I saw the word my mind immediately went to the poem by Emily Dickenson “Hope” is the thing with feathers, and I started to think how important the wing is for the feather and so on. The art piece depicting the fall of Icarus is interesting… it takes a lot of time to find the poor Icarus… but he is there I promise.
November 14, 2022
Björn Rudbergs writings 
Will comment later…eyes too blurry from preop drops. BUT….I totally forgot today was supposed to be a quadrille. I just got so carried away with the feelings for my mother etc. So…just took it down and deleted it from Mr. Linky. Will use it for an OLN. Thanks for your gentle reminder!
I hope to see the poem again… it was a very good one.
I like how you put feathers and wings under the microscope. Good food for thought (for raptors and beyond.) First time hearing that song, it’s a good’n.
It won the Eurovision Song Contest many years ago, and it immediately came to my mind.
Love the deep ponderings here, Bjorn.
Sometimes you have to soar to go deep
Succinct, as a quadrille must be, but have the impression you really squeezed out the very essence here….those last few lines ..one would expect to find them quoted years hence, maybe lifted all rhe more higher by the previous sharp clear lines.
Thank you so much… it helped a lot thinking about Emily’s poem
I think I can hear Kherson in the wind as well… Hope you manage to get some rest in Switzerland…
Wings without a bird are like words without a poem, Björn, or a word without its quadrille. Great use of questions in this one. The last line is perfect.
“What’s a feather
without its wing?”
The essence of belongining, form , and function.
Nice one Björn.
Thanks for fropping by my blog today.
Much💛love
Love how Dickenson inspired you, this one feels so timeless and classic, one profound little quadrille! 👏👏
You pose some very good questions…
The darkness could always go either way…(K)
I have to admit the first stanza made me laugh and think of Jurassic movie I recently watched. Great poem.
Yes, in the end there is always hope
I love your thoughts here! Wings without a bird and the opposite. Just like us what good are dreams without someone to embody them and bring them to life.
I love the questioning tone you end on as if we might save you with answers.
Indeed, what is! Love where Emily’s poem took you. A poem’s feathers are its words but its wings are the thought behind that verse. Another great one, Björn.
Good questions to ponder on.
Beyond the questions, this poem is deeply sad in my opinion.
Yes… that was my intention. I still believe that hope needs darkness to be important.
Poignant questions, yet laced with “that thing with feathers.”
What is hope
without a lover’s loss?
Can I get back to you on that?
Super poem
love this .. your wings have taken flight in this great poem Bjorn!💞
This was beautiful, Björn. A pensive piece.
I like this questioning and the progression–Dickinson, Icarus–feathers, wings, life, death, hope . . . much to think about.
You ask good questions.
Deep thought and sadness emanate from this poem.
Love your choice of painting.