Wordy Bird
Emerald Fox
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If you were a bird,
Settled in perfect, pompous-
Bring me a few things that I would need-
We shall have tea in the morning-
As we chat over business-
Graven image
reading the Morning Brew with-
Nothing but manners and refinement,
Could instill-
If you are going to be ill-tempered, take it to the other end.
For your large beak is for talking, not biting,
And when I proffer you my hand, later,
Make sure that you,
Take the lightest step, coming towards me with an air
Of charming gentry.
Circle around me as you take it in
Your gentle talons,
Remembering your manners when we
are around the rest,
And play the part of gentleman.
Giving it the lightest and most feathered-
Touch, when you are uncertain, for . . .
No one likes a chatty thing, my dear, it’s just the way . . .
So keep that oversized beak of yours
Tightly shut.
It doesn’t gain very much with the opposite sex, it’s true
Or do well in the
Act with the ladies.
A well-bred man must be perfectly well-behaved, sit in the back, and know his-
Position.
Because no one likes a chatty creature, it’s certain that,
And you need to know your place when we get down to the credit, and let the woman take the
Bow.
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Rainbow, the cockatiel that inspired “Wordy Bird”.
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Emerald Fox has a diverse background in education and writing. She began her professional writing journey at Madonna University in 2013, in her hometown of Livonia, Michigan, where she attained her Creative Writing BA. While going to school, she became involved in extracurricular activities to pursue her interest further- this included things like becoming part of the university’s peer tutoring program, a writing internship with The Speculative Edge Magazine, and tutoring writing in the local community. Two years later, she earned a TESOL (teaching English to students of second languages) certificate, and then sought another adventure, becoming a part of the CIEE program to teach abroad in China. She spent a few months teaching English to children at a toddler center there. In 2016, she moved to NYC where she attended NYU for teaching, but did not finish the program, becoming involved in other pursuits of the heart- which found a home in places like the Broadway Comedy Club, Open Mics, and minor acting jobs.
Growing up, Emerald loved working with animals, singing, playing the clarinet, and writing. Her love of animals extended from a little cockatiel named Rainbow, to fired bellied newts, pet frogs, cats, dogs, fish, and the random crawfish or minnow she would catch at the lake and keep a few days before letting free. She currently lives with her husband and two cats, Bodhi and Lucy, in the Steubenville, Ohio region. When she is not with her furry family, she spends her time working at a preschool in Pittsburgh, working on her BA in Early Childhood education, and singing on the worship team at her church. She continues to write in her spare time and hopes to one day publish a book.
Emerald has published poetry in The Madonna Muse and The Flapper Press in the past.
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Posted in Third Annual Pet Writing Contest and tagged in #boudin, #poetry, Poetry