Kentuckienne
Supporting Vendor
- Oct 9, 2016
- 2,742
- 1,632
- Parrots
- Roommates include Gus, Blue and gold macaw rescue and Coco, secondhand amazon
This being my Ode dedicated To Gail and Himself, the Rickeybird. I wanted to make it suitable for reciting at campfires down through the generations.
The Tale of Gail and the Rickeybird
He comes of fearsome ancestry;
His forebears thundered earth and sky
And ruled the depths of every sea.
None could oppose their reign, and none dared try
Until a massive asteroid
Catastrophe straight from the void
Caused nearly every life to die -
But something new would come to be.
The tiny ones escaped the fire -
The ones who hid, and crept by night;
The saber-tooth, the wolf most dire,
Soon walked abroad without fear in the light.
Still, some small creatures lingered on
Inheritors, of dragon spawn
And feathers, with the gift of flight,
The Phoenix risen from the pyre.
Into an awesome creature grown
And gathered in a mighty flock
A thunder in the air, alone
Where Patagonia broke Nature’s clock
And abrogated mammal laws
Rewound primeval beaks and claws
Made birds who chewed through solid rock
To carve their nests into the stone.
They live there still, free-wheeling gods,
Still dwelling where their elders trod.
There is another power which
Seeps like hot lava into stone,
Gleams like dawn against the deep rich
Surf of stars, brimming magma of their own.
The ancient guardians of night
Change places with the troops of light
And she who names this force her own
Is priestess, goddess, wizard, witch.
She walks in power, full suffused
With wisdom, grace, and charity
With kind compassion, oft accused
Of meeting evil with hilarity.
She guards her secret: sword of light -
The enemies of love to smite -
Against Fate’s cruel disparity
And strengthen those who are abused.
She’s heiress to the ancient list
Of power-heavy sorcerers
No wizard, witch, or scientist:
She bears within a thing unique to her;
The gift of seeing hidden parts
Of healing rifts in ruined hearts
No need of weapons; she prefers
The velvet glove on iron fist.
Las Cruces: dusty Spanish square
Adobe walls and blaring heat
The crux of her young life was there,
The greatest challenge she would ever meet.
Young Sunshine, glowing on the day
She had collected her first pay,
Walked in that store with eager feet,
Tossed back her flaming auburn hair.
And stepped into that room of birds
Some caged, some flighted, all for sale
One launched himself and flew to her
He saw in her the way out of his jail.
But really he had made no scheme,
He recognized her in a dream
He clung with all his might to Gail
And so became the Rickey Bird.
She could not leave him there. She paid
His ransom with her uncashed check.
And promised more: then drove away,
With Rickey snuggled up against her neck.
And took him with her to her room
No inkling of impending doom
No harbinger of looming wreck
No reason she should be afraid.
She had for him no cage, she gave
Her shoulder for a perch that day
At night there was no cliff-side cave
For him. She sat down on the floor and stayed
Back to the wall, and all the night
Kept watch. He slept til it was light
Alive with joy he met the day
She thought, at least this one I’ll save.
It was not easy. Sometimes she
Went hungry for her parrot’s sake
He made her life a misery
With biting, screaming - more than she could take
Her family joined the attack
Till she resolved to send him back
But at the door, her heart did break
She swore to him her loyalty.
And so began the famous pair
Of Gail and Rickey Bird - and see,
I too will claim a minor share
One of those hearts she touched belongs to me.
And countless others know them too,
Perhaps she gave sunshine to you.
She saved his life, and so now he
Regales us all with jewels rare.
Was ever there a bird so wrong,
Who yells for chilis every night?
Who dreams of Hot Henz all day long
And slays the Demon Ball with all his might?
Who makes a ruckus with his bell,
Makes Kirby’s life a living hell,
Who longs for fingers he can bite,
And sings the J-Lo “Booty” song.
His glory shall be permanent
Star in the Parrot Firmament.
And Gail as well shall have her part
Forever in our grateful hearts.
The Tale of Gail and the Rickeybird
He comes of fearsome ancestry;
His forebears thundered earth and sky
And ruled the depths of every sea.
None could oppose their reign, and none dared try
Until a massive asteroid
Catastrophe straight from the void
Caused nearly every life to die -
But something new would come to be.
The tiny ones escaped the fire -
The ones who hid, and crept by night;
The saber-tooth, the wolf most dire,
Soon walked abroad without fear in the light.
Still, some small creatures lingered on
Inheritors, of dragon spawn
And feathers, with the gift of flight,
The Phoenix risen from the pyre.
Into an awesome creature grown
And gathered in a mighty flock
A thunder in the air, alone
Where Patagonia broke Nature’s clock
And abrogated mammal laws
Rewound primeval beaks and claws
Made birds who chewed through solid rock
To carve their nests into the stone.
They live there still, free-wheeling gods,
Still dwelling where their elders trod.
There is another power which
Seeps like hot lava into stone,
Gleams like dawn against the deep rich
Surf of stars, brimming magma of their own.
The ancient guardians of night
Change places with the troops of light
And she who names this force her own
Is priestess, goddess, wizard, witch.
She walks in power, full suffused
With wisdom, grace, and charity
With kind compassion, oft accused
Of meeting evil with hilarity.
She guards her secret: sword of light -
The enemies of love to smite -
Against Fate’s cruel disparity
And strengthen those who are abused.
She’s heiress to the ancient list
Of power-heavy sorcerers
No wizard, witch, or scientist:
She bears within a thing unique to her;
The gift of seeing hidden parts
Of healing rifts in ruined hearts
No need of weapons; she prefers
The velvet glove on iron fist.
Las Cruces: dusty Spanish square
Adobe walls and blaring heat
The crux of her young life was there,
The greatest challenge she would ever meet.
Young Sunshine, glowing on the day
She had collected her first pay,
Walked in that store with eager feet,
Tossed back her flaming auburn hair.
And stepped into that room of birds
Some caged, some flighted, all for sale
One launched himself and flew to her
He saw in her the way out of his jail.
But really he had made no scheme,
He recognized her in a dream
He clung with all his might to Gail
And so became the Rickey Bird.
She could not leave him there. She paid
His ransom with her uncashed check.
And promised more: then drove away,
With Rickey snuggled up against her neck.
And took him with her to her room
No inkling of impending doom
No harbinger of looming wreck
No reason she should be afraid.
She had for him no cage, she gave
Her shoulder for a perch that day
At night there was no cliff-side cave
For him. She sat down on the floor and stayed
Back to the wall, and all the night
Kept watch. He slept til it was light
Alive with joy he met the day
She thought, at least this one I’ll save.
It was not easy. Sometimes she
Went hungry for her parrot’s sake
He made her life a misery
With biting, screaming - more than she could take
Her family joined the attack
Till she resolved to send him back
But at the door, her heart did break
She swore to him her loyalty.
And so began the famous pair
Of Gail and Rickey Bird - and see,
I too will claim a minor share
One of those hearts she touched belongs to me.
And countless others know them too,
Perhaps she gave sunshine to you.
She saved his life, and so now he
Regales us all with jewels rare.
Was ever there a bird so wrong,
Who yells for chilis every night?
Who dreams of Hot Henz all day long
And slays the Demon Ball with all his might?
Who makes a ruckus with his bell,
Makes Kirby’s life a living hell,
Who longs for fingers he can bite,
And sings the J-Lo “Booty” song.
His glory shall be permanent
Star in the Parrot Firmament.
And Gail as well shall have her part
Forever in our grateful hearts.
