Breton's Song of the Lark, by Matthew Murrey

The Song of the Lark, by Jules Adolphe Breton (France), 1884

Breton's Song of the Lark

Hair defers to scarf.
Some shirts are drab, though washed.
Heading off to work
at dawn can be harsh.

At least early light’s easy
on the eyes, and a bird on the wing 
sometimes will weave and whistle 
a high, thin tune worth a pause.

Oh, go back home and eat warm bread, 
crawl back to sleep in your rumpled bed.

I’ve heard it, too, 
but work is work
and birdsong is good 
for nothing but a song.

The next step is always away 
from home and bed--
toward fields of this and that 
to pay the bills, to buy the bread.

Matthew Murrey

Matthew Murrey: "My poems have appeared in various journals such as Tar River Poetry, Poetry East, and Rattle.  I received an NEA Fellowship in Poetry a number of years ago, and my first book manuscript is seeking a publisher.  I am a high school librarian in Urbana, Illinois where I live with my partner.  We have two sons who live in the Pacific Northwest. My website is  https://matthewmurrey.weebly. com/"