“Time stops when you chitchat with a chickadee.”
—Amy Tan
I. Staccato Echo
Chit—chat.
A tilt of the head.
Chit—chat—chat.
A secret is said.
Two notes,
then three, then four.
Time halts—
the woods hold more.
You speak—
it answers in kind.
Chit—chat—
a song half-defined.
II. Patterned Rhythm
Chit—chat,
the head tilts,
two notes,
the forest stills.
Flip—flit,
the quick wings,
three calls,
the silence sings.
Hop—skip,
the bird goes,
four notes,
and onward flows.
III. Playful Whimsy
Hop—skip,
branch bends—delight.
Two chirps,
then gone from sight.
Flip—flit,
the sky’s small clown.
Three notes,
then tumbling down.
Chit—chat,
a friend at play.
Four calls,
and off—away.
IV. Meditative Stillness
Time—stills,
the bird draws near.
Two notes,
yet more to hear.
Breath—hushed,
the forest waits.
Three calls,
unlocking gates.
You—pause,
your soul takes wing.
Four notes,
and all things sing.
Northcoast Antiquarian 