
is the thing with feathers,
(seagulls fishing Washington state)

that perches in the soul,
(puffin in the open ocean off Washington state)

and sings the tune without the words,

and never stops, at all.
(Steller’s jay California).

I’ve heard it in the chillest land,

and on the strangest sea,
(dark-eyed junco California)

yet never in extremity,
(American robin Washington state)

it asked a crumb of me.
(red winged blackbird Washington state)
Cheers to you from Emily & her winged harbingers of hope~
Poem extracts, ‘Hope is the Thing With Feathers,’ Emily Dickinson.
Discover more from Cindy Knoke
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Gorgeous pics as always Cindy. I have been looking at Dickinson’s poem this afternoon so it was lovely to see your related post in the in-box! X
Oh my goodness, Jung would call this synchronicity and I would agree with him!
I like the way you juxtaposed the poem with the birds. And those puffins! And I’ve never seen a Stellar’s jay full on like that, crest up with the blue stripes!
Thank you so much! I call Steller’s Bowie Birds because of their Bowie mohawk! ♡´・ᴗ・`♡
It’s pretty striking. I used to have a common yellowthroat in the thicket out my window I called the bandit finch because of his mask.
That has to be true Cindy, because they manage very well in this world. They spread so much joy with their birdsong and beauty.
Leslie xoxo
They are splendid creatures and I am happy you love them too!
Truly inspiring….
Honored. Thank you.
Wonderful pictures of these birds. I love the puffin especially, but they are all very good,
You are very kind & most appreciated ♡´・ᴗ・`♡
Puffins are the absolute cutest! One day, I’ll travel to where they live, so I too may photograph them.
I always miss them by a feather. Seeing them in the ocean was quite unexpected. We are heading to The Faroe Islands soon and they should be there in mass so I can hopefully get close to lots of them. I am excited that you will travel to them too and very much look forward to your photos.
Lovely collection to go with the line <3
Grazie mille Joey ♡´・ᴗ・`♡
I think Emily would have loved your exquisite photos illustrating her poem Cindy!🥰
What an incredible honor that would be! Thank you <3
Fabulous photos. And puffins always make me smile 🙂
They are the ultimate smile provoking birdies & thank you Mary!
A beautiful weaving of poetry and gorgeous photos of the winged harbingers of hope…puffins off the coast of Washington State, I can’t believe it!
That is EXACTLY what I thought when I saw them, “you’re puffin kidding me!!”
Smiling…Thank you for your kind words.
Perfect wordplay, Cindy, now I’m smiling!
And you just passed the smile onto me. Thank you!
Lovely post, Cindy. Your shots are gorgeous, and the sentiment sweet and beautiful!
You are a lovely friend Resa ♡´・ᴗ・`♡
♡´・ᴗ・`♡
Wonderful close shots of the birds! The junco is my favourite! 🙂
Thank you. I love Junco’s too and see them rarely. They are so delicate and pretty.
Beautiful, pictures and Poem!
Grazie mille ♡´・ᴗ・`♡
Fabulous mixed media, Cindy!
Honored! Thank you Pam <3
I have always enjoyed Emily Dickinson and you have added to the beauty of her words.
You make my <3 happy. Thank you Anne.
Great pictures and wonderful text! 🙂
I am very happy you enjoyed & cheers to you my friend.
Ahhh, you have shared the sacredness of birds here in the most beautiful way, Cindy.
I love and fully agree with your phrase, “the sacredness of birds.” ♡´・ᴗ・`♡
Beautiful photos, Cindy. I love birds, and I love Emily Dickinson’s poetry. 🙂
This is clearly why we both like each other so much ♡´・ᴗ・`♡
I’m so lucky to see these birds😊 Especially I love the puffin. I don’t know well about the differnce between puffin and etupirka however etupirka means beautiful beak as Ainu language.
Wow! I am fascinated. The puffin and etupirka are the same bird. I didn’t know about the Ainu language. Thank you for expanding my borders and vocabulary. See: “Name etymology
Etupirka is from the Ainu name for the Tufted puffin (Fratercula cirrhata). In the katakana alphabet used for the Ainu language, it would actually be rendered エト゚ピㇼカ, but the pronunciation エトピリカ is more common in everyday Japanese.” (https://wiki.telefang.net/Etupirka_(Natural)
Thank you so much too! Just as you say. And I also feel that’s just ≪Luck is not chance≫ by Emily Dickison because your work make me feel something deep. thx😊
Your comments make me feel the same. Thank you & be well.
These birdies are gorgeous! Our Midwest Robins are way fatter than this guy, but I don’t recall ever seeing a Junco here. Our Jays are more white and blue, and I’ve never managed to get this close to a red winged blackbird.
Awww, thanks so much Debbie. The red-wings are touchy aren’t they. I saw them once being fed, but didn’t have my camera. It was a rare opportunity which I missed.
This is a beautiful post, Cindy! Love the poem and the images you accompanied it with.
I love your kind comment. Thank you <3
Thank you Cindy, these are colorful and pretty birds. 🙂
I hope you are doing well my friend and happy you enjoyed the birdies ♡´・ᴗ・`♡
I adore Emily, her words, your photos, and you!
Visa versa 2UX ♡´・ᴗ・`♡ And any friend of Emily’s is a kindred soul of mine. Be well and thank you.
Deine Fotos werden immer noch schöner !
Ihre Freundlichkeit wird sehr geschätzt. Danke und Prost!
Prost 😉
What a wonderful poem punctuated with your glorious feathered friends, Cindy. I love those stellar jays, so chatty and brave!
Wonderful portraits of our sweet birdie friends. <3 Beautifully captured, Cindy!
What a beautiful pairing of words and images! *smiling*
Smiling back to you Liz & thank you ♡´・ᴗ・`♡
Gotta love puffins … and that Stellar Jay … Wow … they aren’t in my area.
Thank you Frank. This is one of the things I love most about traveling, seeing all the different and amazing birds…
What beautiful images to accent the words Cindy.
Grazie mille ♡´・ᴗ・`♡
🙂
Birds are the hope indeed. When they start to chirp the spring is coming.
Puffin is my favourite.
Thank you Alexander. It was the first time I have seen puffins. I hope to see more of them soon.
For some reason WP again do not recognize me as your follower. I am anonymous.
Alexander.
“A rose by any other name would surely smell as sweet…” I value your thoughts my friend so thank you for letting me know it was you.
Lovely!
Thank you Wendell & cheers to you!
Wonderful photos, paired with Emily’s verses… Perfect!
Thank you Bette. Emily was such a special soul <3
The Steller’s jay stands out for me. Its blue is something else.
I agree with you. They are just gorgeous creatures.
Amazing captures, Cindy!
Merci beaucoup mon ami <3
Gorgeous and you saw a Puffin! Amazing.
There was a small group of them. I was flabbergasted! <3
Stunning bird photography (as always), Cindy.
I’ve never seen a puffin up close before….thanks for sharing 🙂
You are very kind Vicki. I hope to get closer to puffins soon. They are such endearing creatures ♡´・ᴗ・`♡
A fine collection of my favourite birds, Cindy. I especially liked your outstanding portraits of the Stellar Jay.
Thank you Peter. They are such beauteous birds <3
Gorgeous words and pictures to match!
So kind & much appreciated <3
Gorgeous photos. The robins make me think spring is just around the corner.
Thank you! And yes, robins bring spring to human <3 <3
These bird photos are amazing! Such beautiful bird as blended in twith this wonderful p0em! Thanks Cindy
Awww, thank you Gary & be well my friend <3
What a beautiful collection – your North American puffins and robins look so different from the European versions!
I would love to see yours! I’ve been thinking about a trip to Wales. I have never been and this seems unacceptable…
liebe Cindy, wunderschön wieder, wünsche mal wieder eine gute Woche mit vielen schönen Momenten, Klaus
Du bist ein wunderbarer Freund. Gesundheit & Glück für Sie immer!
alles ist gut danke
♡´・ᴗ・`♡
so machen wir es
♡´・ᴗ・`♡
Good to see your birds again – especially the puffin in the water
Thank you Derrick. I was so excited to see these guys bobbing away in the ocean!
Reblogged this on Musings on Life & Experience and commented:
Some lovely pictures of birds along with extracts of poems from Cindy Knoke.
You are such a lovely friend ♡´・ᴗ・`♡
Beautiful pictures 😍
Grazie mille Rexlin.
So much beautiful wildlife and scenery in Washington state…many times I feel like I should’ve stayed in Seattle, where I lived for a year, but I couldn’t take the miserable, rainy winter.
I hear you. Continuous rain can be depressing so I understand.
Gorgeous birds!! Absolutely stunning shots, Sue. Thanks for sharing, Cindy.
Thank you more for appreciating & cheers to you ♡´・ᴗ・`♡
Pingback: Smorgasbord Blogger Daily – Monday January 27th 2020 – #Writerlinks D.G. Kaye, #Funnies The Story Reading Ape, #Photography Cindy Knoke | Smorgasbord Blog Magazine
You make my day smile ♡´・ᴗ・`♡
Thank goodness for nature, friends, photographers, and poets to help us keep hope alive.
Amen Brad. Couldn’t agree more <3
Go team hope! <3
I am on your team ♡´・ᴗ・`♡
😍 🙏
Beautiful, thank you. xxx
♡´・ᴗ・`♡