Poem of the Day: "Birds of Indiana" by Ross Balcom

Songs of Eretz Poetry Review is pleased to present "Birds of Indiana" by Ross Balcom.  Mr. Balcom is a frequent contributor to the Songs of Eretz Poetry Review & quarterly e-zine, where a brief bio may be found http://eretzsongs.blogspot.com/p/e-zine_3.html.

Birds of Indiana

Ross Balcom

1.

Everywhere I look,

I see birds of Indiana.

Their numbers

overwhelm me,

these birds of Indiana.

Where is "Indiana"?

2.

Many

are the birds of Indiana,

but their shadow

is one.

Dark, dark

is their shadow.

3.

Camped outside her heart,

I wooed her with song.

She laughed at me,

laughed at me.

Her heart was pledged

to the birds of Indiana,

to the damnable birds

of Indiana.

4.

My bloody testicles

were flung in my face

by the birds of Indiana,

by the cruel birds

of Indiana.

5.

I called the police.

"Save me from the birds

of Indiana."

I was told,

"You get what you deserve

from the birds of Indiana."

6.

Many are driven to suicide

by the birds of Indiana.

Others stand tall,

and fall like towers

struck by airplanes.

No one is safe

from the birds of Indiana.

7.

I sought solace

in my mother's arms.

I found only her skeleton,

picked clean

by the birds of Indiana.

8.

Note to self:

You will never find

your way back

to love and sanity.

Your trail of bread-crumbs

was eaten by the birds

of Indiana.

9.

Chased out of town

by bird-lovers,

I sit by a dying campfire

in the woods,

telling myself stories

of the birds of Indiana.

The terrible birds

of Indiana.

10.

The world exists

to nourish the shadow

of the birds of Indiana.

Poet's Notes:  I was born in Indiana and have an interest in birds, so I suppose it's not surprising that I decided to write a poem entitled "Birds of Indiana." The resulting poem was darker than I had anticipated, but I enjoy surprising myself.

Editor’s Note:  I especially enjoy the way that the use of refrain here creates a relentlessness that enhances the impact of the story and how the abrupt turn changes the tone but does not disrupt the continuity of the piece.