Mr. Crow Mr. Crow, what do you know that I don't, jabbering, squawking in the morning air? Are you making sure your friends are aware of an owl sleeping somewhere near? Or possibly a dirty trick - you cunning, conniving king of magic - to lure the others away so you can get to your secret, shiny prize sitting on the roadside? Eyes of charcoal, feathers darker than the Devil's soul, Mr. Crow you captivate me like no other winged wonder. Justin Farley
Songs of Spring A Nature Poem About Birds Singing The robins are back chirping. The cardinals have resumed singing out from the bushes they've used for shelter these past few months. They bring joy. They bring hope that spring is just 'round the corner, that I can cope, each day getting warmer, each day the sun remaining in the sky longer. Even those damn sparrows that fly in flocks of five hundred, fighting and jabbering throughout the day, bring a smile and a laugh. Even while knowing that this temporary ceasefire will fade away and by the end of the season there'll be dozens of reasons to despise them. But for now we share the morning as friends both delighting that at last, winter's grasp is fading away. Justin Farley
Hello, everyone! I have recently published my first chapbook of Christian poems titled “A Voice in the Wilderness – A Chapbook of Poems about God”. This has been developed and polished over the past six months or so. I am happy with the final product and hope you find encouragement in the poems but also a validation that the spiritual life is not all sunshine and rainbows. We all struggle. We all have periods of questions and/or doubt. But it is the yearning that keeps us coming back for more and allows us to experience joy.
You can purchase either on Amazon or on my own bookstore (it is cheaper and has free shipping on my store) and is available on the Kindle and in paperback.
Amazon: Kindle Paperback
Inkspiration Books (my bookstore): Paperback
Thank you for your support!
Like the Birds in Spring A Love Poem For Her I'll follow you like the birds in spring flapping their wings wherever their mate goes across an endless sky. Tweeting a tune of sweet reply whenever your heart calls me. I fly to you because your nest is my home. Roamed restlessly until you beckoned me and assured me I wasn't perching on this wire alone; you too were covered in feathers that had been ruffled just like mine. Don't think about winter. Or whether we'll migrate. Just say "yes" to an adventure, submitting to romance's allure, and leave the rest up to fate. Sing to me a song of invitation. May it jump from your heart in jubilation. Won't you dare me to join in love's game as you flit into a flight of seduction begging to be tamed? I'll follow you like the birds in spring with a heart that tweets and sings every time I look into your eyes. And I promise to keep beating these wings as long as you want to fly with me across life's skies. Justin Farley
Birdsong
The birds of morning take their places
upon the stage of life’s amphitheater
where their voices have remained mute for months.
But today, they rise in joyful chorus,
belting out melodious tunes.
Isn’t it funny how such a small animal
can make a giant footprint upon the soul
and lift a heavy heart higher
than pharmaceutical cocktails and cognitive endeavors –
a voice that sweeps the soot from the chimney of the soul
with only chirps in rhythmic time and playful ruffles of feathers?
Somewhere subconsciously we believe
they are the gatekeepers of spring
and have enough magic in their beaks
to end this bleak, cursed winter.
Their songs are beautiful incantations,
awakening nature from its deep slumber
and inviting all who hear their music
back to life.
-Poem Written by Justin Farley
Carefree and playful like a child,
Your wings flutter in the autumn breeze.
You crack open your seeds with supreme diligence,
Wrapped up in the gift of the present moment.
If only I could be more like you –
Unaware of the future,
Unaltered by anxieties and fears
That exist only in my mind…
But you inspire me, my little black-capped wonder,
To live one moment at a time.
-Poem Written by Justin Farley
photo credit: Chickadee Up Close via photopin (license)
A house sparrow is busy outside my window
Gathering bits of grass in his beak –
Supplies needed for this year’s nest.
Some biological impulse is pushing him,
Performing actions he doesn’t even understand,
An invisible hand directing his reason.
It doesn’t take microscopes, telescopes, or theories
To explain the universe.
The designer reveals himself in the simplest ways.
But you will remain blind
With open eyes and a closed heart.
Purpose parades in even nature’s smallest towns
And down its cities’ streets.
Some may call it evolution,
But I call it intelligent design.
Either way, there’s one thing we can agree on…
The complexity of life is beautiful.
-Poem Written by Justin Farley
If you enjoyed this post, I would greatly appreciate it if you like, share, or comment on it. Follow my blog to receive notifications when new posts are published. You can find my other Christian poems, Lent poems, or inspirational poems at https://alongthebarrenroad.com/category/poetry/
photo credit: Female House Sparrow #3 via photopin (license)
Scarlet red against the snowy white,
I see you at the feeder
munching on sunflower seed.
You do not know me.
But I know you.
I’ve watched you from the window-sill,
perched upon the feeder,
cracking seeds open with your beak
in the early morning winter,
ruffling your feathers to keep yourself warm,
hopping along the frozen ground
to pickup any leftovers that may have fallen,
but quick to fly back into the bare bushes
that shield you from the harsh, hollow wind.
You may not know it,
but I have been watching over you.
Making sure to keep your feeder full,
making sure you can find food
without a thorough search
and able to store up enough energy
to keep you warm and alive until spring.
But unknowingly, you have fed me as well.
I look through the glass, longing to see you.
Wishing I could reach out and touch you
and whisper a simple “thank you” and you’d understand.
You are my beauty
against the backdrop of nothing.
You are a fresh reminder of life
when winter leaves me stale and dying.
You give me a dose of laughter
as I watch you twitch your head back and forth,
appearing confused and never able to decipher
the landscape around you.
You remind me of the freedom of simplicity
when my mind becomes wound up like a complicated clock,
clanging with gears and compounded by time.
You are my company when the bitter cold
leaves me locked behind doors.
Dare I call you a friend?
You add color to a film reel
that replays over and over in black and white.
Yes, you and I need each other.
We go on together, unconsciously feeding each other life.
Along the Barren Road 