The peacock struts slowly.
Picks up one foot
and then the other
as oglers crouch,
cameras and smart phones in hand,
waiting.
People peer through apertures,
fingers tensed to catch the shot.
And still the bird struts.
Guards its fan of iridescent blues and greens,
that myriad of non-iris eyes,
its feathered gloriosity.
The peacock stands proudly still
waiting for the peahen to appear,
not giving a whit for humanity.
Those gullible money-paying creatures
who think their presence
could be a reason for its preening.
Today, Victoria is hosting dVerse, the virtual pub for poets, and asks us to consider feathers in our poems. I’ve stood waiting, at zoos and nature parks across the U.S. and in Bermuda, waiting for a peacock to spread its glorious fan and have never, ever, seen it! Facts: the peacock is the male of the species and spreads its fan in a mating “dance/call” for the female. Only the males are peacocks. Females are peahens and quite dull colored. Peacock feathers in fan-form, emit a sound only heard by peahens. Peacocks can and do fly. And, perhaps the most fun fact: a group of peacocks is called an ostentation or a party. Photo Credit: Danny Ouellet.
lillian the home poet 
Such amazing birds. There was a neighborhood near where I grew up in SoCal that had peacocks roaming the yards and streets…we used to love to drive through and gawk.
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I’ve gawked many a time and never seen them spread their fan!
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Oh, too bad.
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This is VERY clever, Lillian. I especially like this line: “fingers tensed to catch the shot” 🙂 And the last stanza, of course. You just cannot wipe the arrogance off of some birds. Not gonna happen.
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Smiling I am. Thanks for the read and response!
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Noisy little suckers, too. 😉 This is beautiful, Lill.
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Oh, chuckle at your first sentence here! Glad you enjoyed.
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Nicely captured! Been there at a strip show 🙂
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hmmmm…..
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Love this! That peacock simply does not care at all about the people taking its picture. They are beautiful creatures, though. Once in New York City we saw a white peacock. You’d think it wouldn’t be as pretty as the blue and green ones, but it was simply gorgeous.
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Have never seen a white one in person….but doing the research for this, did read about them and saw some photos. Gorgeous indeed.
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Hi Lillian,
perfectly poised peacock-esque words
you fit your words ever so wonderfully into this gorgeous bird’s fanned plumage
am:)
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Thanks, AM. Last day in Ptown — home tomorrow. Have enjoyed living by the water again. Been quite unplugged — will get back to reading tomorrow from bean town 🙂
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oh, enjoy Lillian
so miss vacationing in RI
nothing wrong with being unplugged –
I’ve fallen so far behind with the last phase of getting what I hope to be a genuine book out for late November, early December
gosh, if I only had a few thousand more dollars, I cold pay someone to do all this media junk:)
hope all else is well and your foot/ankle are mending
happy weekend
am:)
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So true… love the ending.
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Thanks!
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Someone must have discovered that they sound like! At the Temple of Gold in West Virginia flocks of peacocks strut their stuff (all white). I don’t recall seeing a pea hen. Maybe hiding? I really liked your noticing the slow showy strutting.
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Well, if I had feathers and eyes like that, I’d be strutting too! 🙂
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I love this ostentation! Noisy buggers though. It is amazing to see them spread their feathers, esp. The all white ones.
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Have never seen one spread his fan! How I wish….. Ostentatious indeed 🙂
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I love his focus that goes beyond the drama of those photographing people.. We call it arrogance, but maybe it’s the photographers being arrogant, the peocock struts for the peehen not for us.
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Exactly! That peacock is probably thinking, “You idiot — and you think I’m going to do my mating dance for you?????”
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This is clever and fierce, Lillian! Especially these lines:
“Those gullible money-paying creatures
who think their presence
could be a reason for its preening.”
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Glad you enjoyed!
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yes i do! 😀
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Fun write, Lillian. No, peacocks don’t care about strutting and fanning their feathers for photographers. I was, however; the object of affection for a peacock that lived in our neighborhood in Miami for a time. Pretty intimidating actually! I referenced the story I wrote about that encounter on my haibun that I submitted for the prompt.
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Our last day in Ptown — home to Boston tomorrow. I am guilty of not reading as much as I should. Shall get to it once home — catch up on last week’s reading over the weekend. I DID read yours and when to the link with the peacock story!!! LOVED it! As I mentioned in my reply to you….maybe that peacock finally gave up figuring you were deaf 🙂 Their shimmy with their fans emits a sound that calls the peahen………and you just didn’t get the message 🙂
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So glad you enjoyed my story on my personal encounter with a peacock. What’s interesting though is I did hear his feathers. They made a very clear rustling sound but perhaps the real attraction is heard on a level that I couldn’t hear…I don’t know, but I do know that bird loved me!!! Haha! 🙂
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Oh you create such magic with your imagery, Lillian 😀 especially love ‘Guards its fan of iridescent blues and greens, that myriad of non-iris eyes, its feathered gloriosity.’ 💖
Beautifully penned (as always)
Lots of love,
Sanaa
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Glad you enjoyed, Sanaa.
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I had a laugh at this – so true, well done!
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Always glad to provide a smile! 🙂
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Ha! The peacock does not give a whit! Great work in describing this majestic bird. x
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Cocky peacock! 🙂
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😄
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Another fact to add to your list: the name of the bird when not being gender specific is peafowl…but somehow peacock seems to have become the accepted norm. And that soaring of the plumage is a rare and delightful scene!
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Ah….and yes, did you know they don’t know the pea chick’s gender for quite some time?
I do think the reason why women where decorative hats is to make up for their lack of plummage that the male bird species has! Perhaps we should open a hat shop for pea hens and female cardinals? 🙂
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Fantastic! I love peacocks (and peahens). They do have a raucous call though!
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Have heard they are quite raucous — but have never heard them now seen their fans in full 😦 I am plummage denied!
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They are quite a sight! I went to a wedding at a hotel where they had peacocks and peahens in the grounds. They weren’t at all shy (or quiet!).
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Oh, this is lovely! Peacocks are magnetic creatures and you so beautifully and poignantly described humans’ propensity to believe all creatures and things are here for our amusement….
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So glad you enjoyed, Kay. 🙂
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And I did enjoy it, thank you. 💜
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