Poem 871 – Evensong

May 4, 2026May 5, 2026 / BenDQ / Leave a comment

Sunday evening, sat in church praying,
Our stumbling voices stutter to
A halt, uncertain of how to talk.

Sitting uncertain in our circle,
We’re startled from staring at our feet
When suddenly a new voice speaks –

A jubilant robin, his joyous song
Penetrating the awkward silence
Sounding loudly inside our sanctuary.

His trilling tongue entices us;
A Jacob’s Ladder leading from heaven
To lift us to the Lord above.

His notes remove the massing gloom
And melody delights and lifts us;
Before too long we find our voices.

In Sunday’s evening service we were treated to a beautiful solo.
(04.05.26)

Poem 865 – Maintaining Life Support

Apr 28, 2026 / BenDQ / Leave a comment

Any moment now the door will fall,
the aching walls subside too far, and shed
integrity as if it were a flimsy
shawl and crumble, decaying ribs and all.

But just before we say last rites we pause,
inside this chest a fluttering heart still beats,
a hint of sound echoes within. And look,
out pops red chest adorned with nesting straw.

Our garden shed is on its last legs, and yet again its end is stayed as a robin is nesting within.
(28.04.26)

© Ben Quant 2026
Photo by Catriona Finlay on Unsplash

Poem 727 – The Morning Reveille

Dec 11, 2025Jan 8, 2026 / BenDQ / Leave a comment

The sentry stands alert upon the shed,
his puffed out silhouette proudly picked out by
the rising rays of the winter sun. Lifting
his beak, he expands his scarlet chest and shrills his fanfare. Branches straighten in response.

I often find myself watching our garden birds first thing as I look out of our kitchen windows.
(11.12.25)

© Ben Quant 2025
Photo by Jan Meeus on Unsplash

Poem 596 – The Robin

Aug 2, 2025Jan 5, 2026 / BenDQ / Leave a comment

He stood so still, I almost didn’t spot him.
Once, his coat was like the one your mother
bought you, saying you’ll grow into it;
he has. Its scruffy now, its tatty edges stretching, fresh orange feathers finally poking through.
Whilst manhood beckons, he has so much to learn.
He eyes me quizzically, wondering if I can
be trusted, if I am a threat. I’m not.
Decision made we stand there eye to eye,
two fellow creatures looking soul to soul.
I’m held until he breaks his gaze, and twitching,
skips into the shade of a nearby waiting bush.

We have a juvenile robin in our garden at the moment, with whom I exchanged a precious moment this morning.
(02.08.25)

Poem 549 – The Robin

Jun 17, 2025Dec 29, 2025 / BenDQ / Leave a comment

Just like an overactive child, the robin
Twitches upon the empty feeder ring.
Surveying the ground below, he studiously bends
Before furiously fluffing his tail feathers.
Next moment he’s scrapping his beak across the metal,
Before swooping and scurrying across the ground.
Back and forth he travels, up and down,
Impatient, never standing still.

Spent dinner watching a young robin through our windows.
(17.06.25)

Ode for the Day

An experiment in poetic doodling

Robin