Poem: "The Ubiquity of Sparrows"
This poem came out of the December 7, 2023 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from Dreamwidth user Chanter1944. It also fills the "Soul / Spirit" square in my 9-1-23 card for the Story Sparks fest. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with DW user Fuzzyred. It belongs to the series Fledgling Grace.
"The Ubiquity of Sparrows"
After the Fledging, there were
sparrows everywhere -- it was
among the commonest of feathers --
but they were not all the same sparrows.
Europe gave rise to Old World sparrows
and along the railways of Spain, people
wore the wings of the willow sparrow
while in the mountains of Italy they
had those of the cisalpine sparrow.
Where people in Vientiane, Laos had
the down of Eurasian tree sparrows,
those in Bangkok, Thailand wore
the feathers of russet sparrows.
In Johannesburg, South Africa
they had cape sparrow plumage,
while up in the Sahara they wore
the desert sparrow's sandy wings.
The Americas had New World sparrows,
where folks on the Atlantic Coast showed
the dusky plumes of seaside sparrows
and farmers in the Midwest displayed
the soft shades of chipping sparrows.
In the tropical forests throughout Colombia,
people bore the feathers of pectoral sparrows
but in the dryer forests and scrublands of Peru
it was the plumes of the Tumbes sparrow.
People even brought Old World sparrows
to Australia, where every city now had folks
in house sparrow plumage and those with
Eurasian tree sparrow pinions flitted about
the coastal forests and pecked at the Outback.
They were the feathers of peasants and
shopkeepers, all those ordinary souls
going about their everyday lives just
as they had before everything changed.
They were so common after the Fledging,
and their coloring so quiet, that people
hardly noticed them amongst flashes
of red and blue, green and gold.
Everywhere they were
the same, yet different.
A certain traveler who knew
many continents was asked what
he found most remarkable of all.
He replied: the ubiquity of sparrows.
* * *
Notes:
"A certain traveler who knew many continents was asked what he found most remarkable of all. He replied: the ubiquity of sparrows."
-- Adam Zagajewski
Sparrows are among the most widespread birds. They belong to the order Passeriformes. Old World sparrows belong to the family Passeridae. They are native to Africa, Asia, and Europe but have been naturalized in the Americas and Australia. New World sparrows belong to the family Passerelidae. They live in North and South America.
The Spanish sparrow or willow sparrow (Passer hispaniolensis) lives in the Mediterranean region and south-west and central Asia, particularly Spain.
The Italian sparrow (Passer italiae), also known as the cisalpine sparrow, is found in Italy and other parts of the Mediterranean region.
The Eurasian tree sparrow (Passer montanus) breeds over most of temperate Eurasia and Southeast Asia, where it is known as the tree sparrow, and it has been introduced elsewhere including the United States, where it is known as the Eurasian tree sparrow or German sparrow to differentiate it from the native unrelated American tree sparrow.
Vientiane is the capital and largest city of Laos.
The russet sparrow (Passer cinnamomeus), also called the cinnamon or cinnamon tree sparrow, has three subspecies with minor color variations. The subspecies rutilans and intensior breed in parts of eastern Asia, where they are usually found in light woodland, and the subspecies cinnamomeus breeds in the Himalayas, where it is usually associated with terrace cultivation.
Bangkok is the capital and most populous city of Thailand.
The Cape sparrow (Passer melanurus), or mossie, ranges from the central coast of Angola to eastern South Africa and Eswatini. Three subspecies are distinguished in different parts of its range.
Johannesburg is the most populous city in South Africa with 4,803,262 people.
The desert sparrow (Passer simplex) belongs to the Sahara Desert of northern Africa.
There are six sparrow species most likely seen in the eastern states. They are the Bachman's Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow, Henslow's Sparrow, Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow, Seaside Sparrow and the Field Sparrow.
The seaside sparrow (Ammospiza maritima) is a species of American sparrow. Their breeding habitat is salt marshes on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States from southern New Hampshire to southern Texas.
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the region encompassing the coastline where the Eastern United States meets the Atlantic Ocean.
The chipping sparrow (Spizella passerina) is widespread, fairly tame, and common across most of its North American range.
The Midwest is a region of the United States of America known as "America's Heartland", which refers to its primary role in the nation's manufacturing and farming sectors as well as its patchwork of big commercial cities and small towns that, in combination, are considered as the broadest representation of American culture. The Midwest is also home to abundant nature including the massive Great Lakes and the vast Northwoods which cover northern Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan and spill over into Canada making the far end of the upper Midwest very different in character to the more urbanized, agricultural, and industrialized lower Midwest.
The pectoral sparrow (Arremon taciturnus) is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
The Tumbes sparrow (Rhynchospiza stolzmanni) is found in Ecuador and Peru. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.
The house sparrow (Passer domesticus) is native to most of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin, and a large part of Asia. Its intentional or accidental introductions to many regions, including parts of Australasia, Africa, and the Americas, make it the most widely distributed wild bird.
The Eurasian tree sparrow (Passer montanus) breeds over most of temperate Eurasia and Southeast Asia, where it is known as the tree sparrow, and it has been introduced elsewhere including the United States, where it is known as the Eurasian tree sparrow or German sparrow to differentiate it from the native unrelated American tree sparrow.
"The Ubiquity of Sparrows"
After the Fledging, there were
sparrows everywhere -- it was
among the commonest of feathers --
but they were not all the same sparrows.
Europe gave rise to Old World sparrows
and along the railways of Spain, people
wore the wings of the willow sparrow
while in the mountains of Italy they
had those of the cisalpine sparrow.
Where people in Vientiane, Laos had
the down of Eurasian tree sparrows,
those in Bangkok, Thailand wore
the feathers of russet sparrows.
In Johannesburg, South Africa
they had cape sparrow plumage,
while up in the Sahara they wore
the desert sparrow's sandy wings.
The Americas had New World sparrows,
where folks on the Atlantic Coast showed
the dusky plumes of seaside sparrows
and farmers in the Midwest displayed
the soft shades of chipping sparrows.
In the tropical forests throughout Colombia,
people bore the feathers of pectoral sparrows
but in the dryer forests and scrublands of Peru
it was the plumes of the Tumbes sparrow.
People even brought Old World sparrows
to Australia, where every city now had folks
in house sparrow plumage and those with
Eurasian tree sparrow pinions flitted about
the coastal forests and pecked at the Outback.
They were the feathers of peasants and
shopkeepers, all those ordinary souls
going about their everyday lives just
as they had before everything changed.
They were so common after the Fledging,
and their coloring so quiet, that people
hardly noticed them amongst flashes
of red and blue, green and gold.
Everywhere they were
the same, yet different.
A certain traveler who knew
many continents was asked what
he found most remarkable of all.
He replied: the ubiquity of sparrows.
* * *
Notes:
"A certain traveler who knew many continents was asked what he found most remarkable of all. He replied: the ubiquity of sparrows."
-- Adam Zagajewski
Sparrows are among the most widespread birds. They belong to the order Passeriformes. Old World sparrows belong to the family Passeridae. They are native to Africa, Asia, and Europe but have been naturalized in the Americas and Australia. New World sparrows belong to the family Passerelidae. They live in North and South America.
The Spanish sparrow or willow sparrow (Passer hispaniolensis) lives in the Mediterranean region and south-west and central Asia, particularly Spain.
The Italian sparrow (Passer italiae), also known as the cisalpine sparrow, is found in Italy and other parts of the Mediterranean region.
The Eurasian tree sparrow (Passer montanus) breeds over most of temperate Eurasia and Southeast Asia, where it is known as the tree sparrow, and it has been introduced elsewhere including the United States, where it is known as the Eurasian tree sparrow or German sparrow to differentiate it from the native unrelated American tree sparrow.
Vientiane is the capital and largest city of Laos.
The russet sparrow (Passer cinnamomeus), also called the cinnamon or cinnamon tree sparrow, has three subspecies with minor color variations. The subspecies rutilans and intensior breed in parts of eastern Asia, where they are usually found in light woodland, and the subspecies cinnamomeus breeds in the Himalayas, where it is usually associated with terrace cultivation.
Bangkok is the capital and most populous city of Thailand.
The Cape sparrow (Passer melanurus), or mossie, ranges from the central coast of Angola to eastern South Africa and Eswatini. Three subspecies are distinguished in different parts of its range.
Johannesburg is the most populous city in South Africa with 4,803,262 people.
The desert sparrow (Passer simplex) belongs to the Sahara Desert of northern Africa.
There are six sparrow species most likely seen in the eastern states. They are the Bachman's Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow, Henslow's Sparrow, Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow, Seaside Sparrow and the Field Sparrow.
The seaside sparrow (Ammospiza maritima) is a species of American sparrow. Their breeding habitat is salt marshes on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States from southern New Hampshire to southern Texas.
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the region encompassing the coastline where the Eastern United States meets the Atlantic Ocean.
The chipping sparrow (Spizella passerina) is widespread, fairly tame, and common across most of its North American range.
The Midwest is a region of the United States of America known as "America's Heartland", which refers to its primary role in the nation's manufacturing and farming sectors as well as its patchwork of big commercial cities and small towns that, in combination, are considered as the broadest representation of American culture. The Midwest is also home to abundant nature including the massive Great Lakes and the vast Northwoods which cover northern Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan and spill over into Canada making the far end of the upper Midwest very different in character to the more urbanized, agricultural, and industrialized lower Midwest.
The pectoral sparrow (Arremon taciturnus) is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
The Tumbes sparrow (Rhynchospiza stolzmanni) is found in Ecuador and Peru. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.
The house sparrow (Passer domesticus) is native to most of Europe, the Mediterranean Basin, and a large part of Asia. Its intentional or accidental introductions to many regions, including parts of Australasia, Africa, and the Americas, make it the most widely distributed wild bird.
The Eurasian tree sparrow (Passer montanus) breeds over most of temperate Eurasia and Southeast Asia, where it is known as the tree sparrow, and it has been introduced elsewhere including the United States, where it is known as the Eurasian tree sparrow or German sparrow to differentiate it from the native unrelated American tree sparrow.