at last it is night
to the stars you birds—now fly!
but they are long asleep
The poem was written on December 22, 2023. The accompanying images were created by DALL-E (AI).
This haiku-like poem skillfully plays with the contrast between human expectation and natural reality. The initial anticipation of the night and the enthusiastic call to the birds to fly to the stars collide with the simple truth that birds sleep at night. This contrast can be seen as a subtle critique of human hubris or as a reminder to accept the limits of our influence on nature.
The poem invites us to question our often naive ideas and to embrace reality as it is. There’s a quiet melancholy in the realization that desire and reality often diverge. In its brevity, the haiku encourages reflection on our relationship with nature, reminding us to live in harmony with natural rhythms rather than trying to impose our expectations on the world.
Under a star-filled sky, with a landscape bathed in moonlight. The birds rest quietly in their nests or perched still on the branches of trees, enveloped by the calm of the night. Though birds don’t typically sleep in nests—only chicks do—it’s still a fitting metaphor.
Adjectives That Best Fit the Poem
calm, quiet, reflective, wistful, serene, tranquil, melancholic, gentle, distant, peaceful, dreamy, patient, subtle, restrained, humble, accepting, resigned, ethereal, soft, silent, natural, solitary, contemplative, timeless
