The Day of Visitation

On By dorahakIn Poems, Prompts

This week for Friday Fictioneers I took Rochelle’s Thoreau quotation to heart, to wit: “It’s not what you look at that counts, but what you see.” Apologies in advance, since I am in no doubt I am treading heavily on your patience as I take liberties with the purported speech of birds that speak in excessively lengthy portmanteau-like, compound words. For those interested, I was thinking of Mark 11:12-25 and Luke 19:44 when writing this.
Image credit: ©Roger Bultot
Join in the storytelling by clicking on the frog:

Genre: Prose/Poetry
Word Count: 100

The Day of Visitation

I did not know at all how to be, which way to live.

I came to wash on the shore, from city street wandered in, when spectacles lit, unfolded, slipped onto my nose, to where care had not brought down the voice so sweet of blackbirds and cuckoo:

(Stray)nger. SoreThumber.
Ins(hide)r. Persiflager.

Temple(ate) in winter, summer cocooned
Sing cuccu1

Wrapt in(word) Word-horde strong
seed(l)ing is icumen2

In(to)ward barren no(thingness)
Sing cuccu

Trinity, Three-in-One, God is.
love: creation, revelation, (re)creation

Light(sends word)Light(tabernacles)Light(sheds abroad)
Sing cuccu

Kingdom b(earth)ing on a cross
Imparts life over death

Stay stranger, stay in(side) Christ
Sing cuccu

1,2“The Cuckoo Song” – “Sumer is icumen in” – Middle English, mid-13th century: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumer_is_icumen_in

51 thoughts on “The Day of Visitation”

    1. Michael,
      There’s a lot about the period’s literature that keeps me coming back to it. Just finished listening to Piers Plowman audiobook— so wonderful!
      pax,
      dora

      Like

    1. Jen,
      You’re right. FF is a great opportunity for that and I love the feedback I get, like yours. Thank you. Juggling words and ideas and sounds is the closest I get to being an “explorer”!
      pax,
      dora

      Like

  12. Some lovely word play. I must confess that I struggle to relate this story to the bible references you give. I suspect that’s my literal mind rather then your writing!
    I particularly liked the end

    “Trinity, Three-in-One, God is.
    love: creation, revelation, (re)creation

    Light(sends word)Light(tabernacles)Light(sheds abroad)
    Sing cuccu

    Kingdom b(earth)ing on a cross
    Imparts life over death

    Stay stranger, stay in(side) Christ
    Sing cuccu”

    It’s beautiful. And I really enjoyed your reading of the poem; it added a lot.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Penny,
      The resonance with the verses cited are tenuous, except for their framework, Jesus coming to Jerusalem, weeping over it, visiting the Temple and seeing it for what it has become, as fruitless as the fig tree. The Light came in the day of visitation to His own and the darkness did not recognize Him, rejected Him. Thus the starting point for the first two stanzas. Thank you for asking about it. And thank you so much for taking the time to think through it, that means a lot to me. I’m glad you enjoyed my reading of it, your comments always encourage, a blessed grace. :>)
      pax,
      dora

      Like

    2. There is one other facet to this–the cuckoo is notorious for laying its egg in other birds’ nests and letting its child be raised along with the nest builders’. And that’s what Christ is trying to do with us, put a child of God in us where we would raise clay pigeons.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Dwight,
      I had fun with it, and it seemed to come naturally at the time. I don’t think I could reproduce it in any other context, tbh. I’m relieved you liked my reading. 😀

      Liked by 1 person

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