I started this blog in June two years ago because I wanted to redirect my creative energy. I named it Bird Talks at first, which really didn't make any sense. There was no explanation on the title, and clearly this blog wasn't about birds. I changed the title last year to The Bird Talks Blog, by Poet & Writer - Linda Joy Burke with hopes to improve my chances that people would find and read this work. I still didn't give an explanation as to why I chose the title though. Well the deal is that I have an affinity for hawks, ravens, eagles, falcons and other large high flying birds, and I have this uncanny ability to be able to see the minute as well as the big picture.
When I started writing I really didn't have a clear picture of where I wanted it to go. I vowed I would try to place an entry in once a month, and then conceded that since it was my project, I would do a minimum of 12 entries a year. I started including original photography as entries in the second half of the 2006 journal.
I remember when I wrote my first entry, I was in a mood, and probably like most, I just wanted to get the mood off my chest. The content of that entry (see archives) was a poem which had been inspired by hearing the horrifying news, that three Hispanic children had been brutally murdered in a quiet community in Pikesville. The details of the crime colored the news for weeks, as speculations as to who could have done the deed filled the air.
A couple of weeks later, another child, who was a bit older, was set on fire near the same neighborhood. I think both crimes triggered a kind of great sadness in me. It was the kind of sadness that I couldn't possibly articulate to friends and loved ones, and get some kind of relief. It didn't make sense that I should feel such a strong emotional connection to those lost children but I did. Of course we could commiserate, offer sympathy, a hug and a smile. I'm talking about a different kind of relief, that penning words to paper gave.
If you're a writer, then you already know about this phenomena, of only being able to understand or express a thing when you've written it down. If we are true to our craft, we are astute observers, and quiet listeners. Our sensory awareness is most often enhanced by silence, stillness, and moving in a slower than average pace. In short we feel the world quite differently than those who may not express themselves in the written word.
While writing this blog, I have begun to closely pay attention to the contradictory aspects of being human in the 21st century. As we have seen through out history, a lot of us humans are brilliant beyond measure, with capabilities to elevate or raze nations, while being no less fragile than a butterfly caught in a strong wind. What I marvel at, is that the more civilized we have become, it seems the less we pay attention to our fragility though.
Understanding the consequences of not paying attention, is relegated to philosophers, artists, poets, scientists, and holy people seeking nirvana it seems. This is no different than in any other time of great tribulation throughout civilization though. I find that this is the work that I'm most drawn to, which has helped to give this blog its unique identity.
I will continue to approach the hard questions in the coming year's issues of this Blog. I welcome comments, questions, suggestions, challenges. I thank those of you who continue to read, and offer encouragement.
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