Lessons from a Woodpecker
The woodpecker will not give up,
Until the hole it planned is made!
It walks upon the trunk upside,
Its clawed feet holding bark firmly!
It pecks and pecks while turning head;
It bangs and drums upon the tree;
It hammers, chisels, saws and files,
The sharp beak digging circularly!
The pecking actions cause echoes
In air surrounding bird on tree;
With great a force, it pecks each time,
But does not mind feeling giddy!
It pecks and pecks as wood chips fly;
The bristly tongue helps it to clear;
The beak keeps hitting edge of hole,
As head of bird, then goes deeper!
It takes a month to make a hole!
The woodpecker will not give up;
It comes back to the hole each day,
And deepens it some more, some way!
The woodpecker has taught me how
Hard labor, perseverance clicks;
And lo! The nest is filled with love,
As noisy cries come from new chicks!
Yes, Mother Nature teaches all,
Such golden lessons for no fee;
Oh, listen to her daily call;
Success will smile on you, may be!
When one has aimed to do something,
Come in the way, don’t let a thing;
Work till the job is fully done;
Nothing in life, you leave half-done!
Copyright by Dr John Celes 1-15-2010
poem by John Celes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Related quotes
The Woodpecker
What is that knock-knock sound?
I hear it when it's quiet.
I look and listen for the source.
It's the woodpecker looking for its diet.
I found him upright on the bark
of a tall and lanky pine
making a hole as he taps repeatedly
with his beak that's pointy and fine.
It seems he's making a nest today
pecking away with his beak.
And in between he takes some time
to eat insects as I try to catch a peek.
But the sight that I catch as he pecks away
is not as interesting to me
as his knock-knock sound that I listen to
on my tall and barky tree.
poem by Edwina Reizer
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
woodpecker beaks hard
hammers, chisels a new hole
round, deep, on tree trunk
haiku by John Celes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
A Annoying Woodpecker
The woodpecker pecks gracefully
On the side of the house.
It's bothersome raps
wake me from a sound sleep.
I stumble out of bed in a
Sleepy fog, and walk outside
To somehow quiet the loud clatter.
I walk up to the house
The small woodpecker is startled
And hastily flies away.
He perches on a small branch
And looks at me
I leave the woodpecker
To his business
In hopes that he would get
Bored and leave
For my house's sake.
poem by Melanie Dickie
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
The bird that pecks at a rock trusts in the strength of its beak.
Reciprocal
MY mistress, where sits she?
What is it that charms?
The absent she's rocking,
Held fast in her arms.
In pretty cage prison'd
She holds a bird still;
Yet lets him fly from her,
Whenever he will.
He pecks at her finger,
And pecks at her lips,
And hovers and flutters,
And round her he skips.
Then hasten thou homeward,
In fashion to be;
If thou hast the maiden,
She also hath thee.
poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Hole In My Head
Remember yesterday?
Driving down the M4
The sun lit up your face
Playing all the tunes
Feeling like a child again
The pain has been erased
I feel much better anyhow
Until I see that black cloud
I got a hole in my head
And it's making me sad
Got a hole and the world keeps looking in
Got a hole in my head
And it's making me sad
Got a hole and the world keeps crashing in
Stop looking in
Hide it all away
Keeping your heart inside a box
That no one else can take
Smile it all away
Holding back a thousand lies
But that was yesterday
I love it when she comes around
Until I see that black cloud
I got a hole in my head
And it's making me sad
Got a hole and the world keeps looking in
Got a hole in my head
And it's making me sad
Got a hole and the world keeps crashing in
Got a hole in my head
Got this song in my head
Waiting for the sun to come around
Waiting for the sun to come around
Take another smoke
I though you said you'd given up?
And does your mother know?
Take another rest
Holding out my hand again
I hope that we're still friends
I got a, I got a, I got a, I got a...
I got a hole in my head
And it's making me sad
Got a hole and the world keeps looking in
Got a hole in my head
And it's making me sad
Got a hole and the world keeps crashing in
I got a hole in my head
And it's making me sad
Got a hole and the world keeps looking in
Got a hole in my head
And it's making me sad
Got a hole and the world keeps crashing in
song performed by by Feeder
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
The hoopoe
Every time that I mow the lawn
he waits in a tree
on me to finish
and there are times
that he gets impatient
and his hoopoe resounds.
Just when I walk away
he flies fluttering down
and pecks everywhere
to get worms
and insects
and I see his orange brown quiff
standing up
and it’s as if his body
glows shimmering orange
and there are black and white stripes
going to the points
of his wings
while like a woodpecker
he hits his bill
here and there into the ground
and like a chicken
pecking up seed
picks up insects from the ground.
poem by Gert Strydom
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
The Cravin' Raven
The raven searches for food to consume.
He flies high and low,
Yet none does he find.
He thinks this is not a very good sign.
Soon, food at last, and this the meatless kind.
He has watched from afar and knows
This food is left each day on the step;
Not in the garden for humans to grow.
Swooping down to inspect this food
The milkman is gone making this a stop.
This is a treat beyond compare.
Everyday, the man makes a drop.
The raven pecks, inspects, and thinks
“The bottle is hard; my beak must not break.”
Maybe here, there, the search goes on!
Frustration and turmoil is all this creates!
More pecking he does, more frustrated he is;
This insaneness makes a bird lose his mind.
“There has to be a way.
What must I do to reach the food that is inside? ”
He pecks all around and discovers the top
The lid on the bottle is paper-like thin.
His beak will go through this fine cover,
And the treasure inside he definitely wins.
Each day he returns with knife, fork and spoon.
Taking part in this feast, a rare delicacy.
“No more searching for food must I do,
Now I can drink to fill my small belly.”
Generously, he invites friends to the feast
They will enjoy this food he is savin’.
I must not be a pig and eat all for myself.
I’ll invite friends to savor this food I’m cravin.’
The man of the house becomes aware of his loss
Loudly proclaiming no more food, and all-out war
To quote a phrase from the poet, Edgar Alan Poe
Nevermore……..Nevermore……….Nevermore!
poem by Diane Wright
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Freedom In A Metaphor Bird
the little bird
driven by hunger
comes near the place
where you are seating
because you
spread some grains
of rice
on the ground just
below the tree
without looking at you
it pecks upon a few
nibbling
and then in a few seconds
flies away
swims through the air
and leaves you
once again
feeling so fettered....
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Surroundings-26
Nesting Crow
Pecks, picks, builds nest on new tree
Caws, cries, sounds best to show spree
Sticks, strips, twigs set up on tree
Flaps, jirks, chirps just new rent free
poem by Indira Renganathan
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Freedom Metaphor (corrected)
the little bird
driven by hunger
comes near the place
where you are seated
because you
spread some grains
of rice
on the grass just
below the tree
without looking at you
it pecks upon a few
seeds
and then in a few seconds
flies away
from you
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
No Impurity In Necessity
Calf is pure at milking time.
So are the dog fetcheing the hunt,
The bird that pecks at fruits falling
And the woman’s part in making love.
poem by Rm. Shanmugam Chettiar
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Hole In My Head
Hole in my head
hole in my head
I need a boy like you like a hole in my head
I need a boy like you like a hole in my head
Let's just say we will and then don't instead
Wild goose chase
Wild goose chase
You're gonna take me boy on a wild goose chase
You're gonna take me boy on a wild goose chase
You better find somebody to take my place
You took my imagination and stomped it inthe ground
Now I can only think about you
chasin' the tracks that you left around
Hole in my head
hole in my head
Oh I need a boy like you like a hole in my head
I need a boy like you like a hole in my head
You make me feel so bad that I wish I was dead
Let the games begin
Yeah here I go again
I'm never gonna win
It must have knocked me crazy
it must have hit me hard
People must think I'm lazy
Like my shuffle's short
of playing a card
Wild goose chase
Wild goose chase
Oh I need a boy like you
like a wild goose chase
I need a boy like you
like a wild goose chase
You better find somebody to take my place
Let the games begin
Yeah here I go again
I need a boy like you (I need a boy like you)
I need a boy like you (I need a boy like you)
I need a boy like you
Like a hole in my head
Hole in my head
Hole in my head
Hole in my head
Hole in my head
Like a hole in my head
I need a boy like you (I need a boy like you)
I need a boy like you (I need a boy like you)
song performed by by Dixie Chicks from Fly
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
Lowdown
Pop
I dont want to throw away my time
Playing games I dont respect or like
I cant give away my sovereignty
To existence with no song of me
And the hole in my heart
Im lowdown
Theres a hole in my heart
Im low
Theres a hole in my heart
Im lowdown
Theres a hole in my heart
Im low
I built myself a beautiful brick wall
Gets a little higher every day
_? _ ignorance inhabits me
Cause Ive already chased my love away
And the hole in my heart
Im lowdown
Theres a hole in my heart
Im low
Theres a hole in my heart
Im lowdown
Theres a hole in my heart
Im low
Take that happy banner off the wall
I dont need to see no smiling face
All I really wants a cup of tea
To feel a warmth inside of me
And the hole in my heart
Im lowdown
Theres a hole in my heart
Im low
Theres a hole in my heart
Im lowdown
Theres a hole in my heart
Im low
Theres a hole in my heart
Im lowdown
Theres a hole in my heart
Im low
Theres a hole in my heart
Im lowdown
Theres a hole in my heart
Im low
song performed by by Iggy Pop
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
The Green Starling
When you look at the green starling
it screams in the long grass,
gleams green in the morning dew
and catches your eye
as it comes out of a hole, out of a tree,
as it picks up insects at a small stream
as it comes out,
as it comes out
as if caught in your daydream.
When you look at the green starling
it sparkles here and there
as if it sometimes is holding onto rays
and it warbles
stretches out under the sun,
view it as a red balloon
stretches out
stretches out
and it would fly away if it could.
When you look at the green starling
it pecks at a sorrel
when at times it holds onto a big worm
before it sings a song of joy
flies up fluttering, spreading its wings
and for moments distract you,
flies up fluttering
flies up fluttering
and so a whole mornings swishes past.
poem by Gert Strydom
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
We Dug A Hole
His head is a big black hole
full of big black things
and it sucks so hard
you could never against the mud
Sugar plum, no ones ever seen anything come
ouch, what a travesty, what a sad fate
someone get a band-aid please
we gotta get this guy a machine for his cranium
I mean I don't need
maybe I don't hear what i need
this never really goes anywhere
We dug a hole
And put our heads in it
We dug a hole
We dug a hole
And put our heads in
This winter they come too quick and broad
with not enough hot spiced cider or cinnamon toast
you never think you know this but when you got a dead start
sucking up both times in your brain
things start to change
and for the record let me say
its not his fault that things never change
the summer is always too short
and still they broke up for a guy with a black hole in his head
and you'll never meet him anyway
We dug a hole
And put our heads in it
We dug a hole
We dug a hole
And put our heads in it
We dug a hole
(We dug a hole)
song performed by by Ok Go
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
Hole Hearted
Lifes ambition occupies my time
Priorities confuse the mind
Happiness one step behind
This inner peace Ive yet to find
Rivers flow into the sea
Yet even the sea is not so full of me
If Im not blind why cant I see
That a circle cant fit
Where a square should be
Theres a hole in my heart
That can only be filled by you
And this hole in my heart
Cant be filled with the things I do
Hole hearted
Hole hearted
This heart of stone is where I hide
These feet of clay kept warm inside
Day by day less satisfied
Not fade away before I die
Rivers flow into the sea
Yet even the sea is not so full of me
If Im not blind why cant I see
That a circle cant fit
Where a square should be
Theres a hole in my heart
That can only be filled by you
And this hole in my heart
Cant be filled with the things I do
Theres a hole in my heart
That can only be filled by you
And this hole in my heart
Cant be filled with the things I do
Hole hearted
Hole hearted
Hole hearted
Hole hearted
song performed by by Extreme
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
After the rain
After the rain
the air is full of swallows
swishing up and down
hanging in it
to catch flying white ants
and I see them ascending
and descending twittering.
Some sit as if strung together
right next to each other
on the silver lamp post
and hordes are invited
to the feast of the swallows.
Later when I sit in my study
there is a bird
that that lands on my windowsill
that looks like a parrot to me
and seeing itself in the window
pecks constantly against it
or maybe it’s something else
that I take as a parrot
and its head is scarlet red
up to its neck,
its eyes wide from each other
and its beak is bended
and below the red
its pitch black
and the rest of its body is light green
and I know that it’s too late
for the festival of the other birds
but maybe it would rather have
An apple or two
and every day
I now wait on Polla
or whatever its name is
to come back
to awake me with its knocking
and maybe I will catch him
but it’s rather much better
to be without a cage
and never again to be cooped in.
poem by Gert Strydom
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Beach Liaison
Foamy, frothy blue-green silk sea drapes over freckled, speckled skin
A face bare, wet and rough, a complexion bleached by sun, sea, salt
Barren on the surface yet life breathes free in cracks and crannies
Underneath the craggy covering he hides in slender shell
His caramel body is smooth, supple as he slips into the
Spiral sheath to the sharp pointed end of the day when, at tides
Edge, the sea caresses pink coral reef sky as day submits
To darkness, concealing intimate silhouettes of lovers
Embracing among the shadows of sea grapes and dune grasses
At dusky brink between day and night sea birds flit
Kingfishers’ white feathers flutter away from lapping sea tongue
A salty kiss on parched lips and on sandy cheeks communicates
A silent poem song in language like Sanskrit scratched out with
Bird claw quills on sand skin a dry and rough parchment while the small
Kingfisher flock pecks away without wit into gritty flesh
To slurp up his mollusk body like salt-water taffy pulled
Out of its wax paper wrapped up tight but never feeling safe
Sharp pecking beak finds his soft snail soul plucked from firm, corkscrew case
In bird beak swallowed whole he prays: I’ve already been in heaven
Though tragedy sweeps away all that is real and some things imagined
Always in my heart I will carry sunshine and silken sea.
poem by Laura Pariseau
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
The Golden Hole
I am beside the river of love,
And of a wondrous marriage to swing my muse;
But of the joy like the flowers to forth a fairer hue.
The niddle's eye takes a camel through,
Far from the sacred shore i stand;
But while i was very sad,
The Golden Hole was there as my hope.
I love my wife and my children,
But let us give praise to the Creator;
Like the tree with the golden hair.
As far as eyes could see and the nose could smell,
For my share of the wine is over the cliff;
And out of the night,
This water from the river is spent and gone.
The moon was very bright on The Golden Hole,
And that germ of kindness will be my hope;
For my old age calls her love to me,
And like the one who does his duty by himself.
That germ of kindness in this hole,
Of the garden of herbs and fruits;
And out of the full heart and the boundless gratitude,
For this Golden Hole is all my hope.
Come and see this hole,
Like the working bee in blossom-dust;
And there is a thing in my mind to say,
But women are so quick to understand.
Fearing the lazy gossip of the port,
For by the river side i stayed and watched;
like a figure seen in the early dawn.
In The Golden Hole,
As a vision of a dream;
But i have loved you longer than you know.
poem by Edward Kofi Louis
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!