Under a cloudless spring sky, the afternoon sun burnished every wing and feather with a brilliant sheen. Their restless movements through sun, shade, and breeze inspired the following poem, drafted with an HB pencil on a very warm afternoon at the café.
Fervid Feathers
The burnished birds
have warily bathed enough
under spring’s hot midday sun.
Their reflective, fervid feathers
shimmer like sails
of sleek black satin.
Then, frantically, the sun-polished birds
follow the flighty dragonflies and bees
into the succoring shady trees.
Refreshing their fervid feathers
in the afternoon’s soothing
sea breeze.
As the afternoon heat fades into a soothing sea breeze, here is a charming little song to accompany today’s feathered observations, and one that may be new to some readers.
Ivor Steven © October 2026
Nature is so beautiful isn’t it? Nicely done my friend 🤗💜
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Thank you for your lovely words, Carol 🥰🌏🦅🌞
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Beautiful verse, my dear friend. Nothing like a good pencil! ✏️ 🥰
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Yeah, the last one in spam (I hope) … ah, the good old HB pencil still works on these hot days, my dear friend 🥰📘📃🌞🦅
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Lovely.
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Thank you ☺️
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Such a sweet view of the simplest of things in life we miss and forget to stop and admire. Lovely imagery.
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Thank you so much for all of your lovely words, Alexandra … (ah, my dad’s name was Alexander)
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i love all of your descriptors here
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Thank you, I was the image of how unseasonally hot it was, Beth
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An alliterative tongue-twister
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Yes, and I be reciting this live, Derrick
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