"Feral" by Yoni Hammer-Kossoy

Songs of Eretz Poetry Review is pleased to present “Feral” by Yoni Hammer-Kossoy. His poetry is forthcoming or has most recently appeared in Picaroon Poetry, Right Hand Pointing, Lunch Ticket, Cacti Fur, and Poetica's 2017 Mizmor L'David Anthology.

Born and raised in the US, Yoni Hammer-Kossoy now lives in Israel where he works as a software engineer. Follow him on Twitter @whichofawind.

Feral

Yoni Hammer-Kossoy

Three green parrots

I could never spot 

on a lush summer day

stick out in the March sun

like neon scribbles

where apricot blossoms

have fallen away.

Atop their slender perch

the birds are silent as an old photo

until one blurts out

an absurdly loud cry

neither song nor silly tale

but the ragged screech

of an escaped prisoner

then flies off 

followed by the other two

leaving bare branches to sway

in the wind.

Poet’s Notes:  I am often struck by the gap between perception and the actual reality of what is being perceived. This is an obvious challenge when it comes to building meaningful relationships between people, but it also feels true for just about anything else I experience. Every sight or memory that seems beautiful on the outside may be hiding something dangerous. Or the opposite could also turn out to be true. I like how writing poetry gives me a chance to engage with these dynamics of perception and sometimes even reach a better understanding of the world around me.

Editor’s Note:  There is a William Carlos Williams feel to this piece that is especially pleasurable.  The images are stark and crisp, in full color, and engage all the senses.  The arrangement of the stanzas recalls the best of short Japanese form poetry.