Sounds of Senescence

Moving swiftly across the swamp
the sparrow tentatively
spreads out his territory;
a phonic palisade, which
he surveys with
vain conviction.
Contented in solitude,
he slides into
symphonic soliloquy;
preening at the
sumptuousness of
his stereotypic
performance.
 
Halfway through the encore
An unwanted response
echoes his call.
Susceptible to the vulgarity
of this disturbance,
he jumps down from his perch
to confront his admirer;
the repetition of his retort
parading his position.
 
Bemused by his
audience’s apparition
he turns his ear
to the ground,
shakes his head,
and returns to his
own self-worth:
the virility of youth
untroubled by
the artifice of age.
A swamp sparrow (Image Credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service).
This poem is inspired by recent research, which has found that male swamp sparrows are less intimidated by the songs