Broken Beats

 

Broken Beats

The forest hums, a silent, lonely sigh,
Two hearts once one, now watch the branches fly.
Each rhythmic tap-a memory, a phantom sound,
Of love once shared, on hallowed, hollow ground.

                                Her Memories – The Female Woodpecker’s Side

I remember your drumming-loud, alive, and clear,
It echoed through the boughs, a song I held dear.
But then, another rhythm from a distant tree,
A flash of red, and joy not meant for me.
My heart recoiled, a splintered, sudden dread-
Another’s beat, another nest, inside my head.
My tapping faltered, lost its steady chime,
Believing now your melody beat to different time.

His Truth -The Male Woodpecker’s Side

She never knew-my fervent, pounding beat
Was for our future home, for love, for something sweet.
I scoured the bark for grubs, for strength, for song,
To claim a space where we, at last, belong.
That distant tree? A warning drum I played,
To drive a rival from the nest we'd made.
My silence held no lies, just labored, honest strain,
To build a haven whole, beyond the wind and rain.

His Memories - The Male Woodpecker’s Side

And you, my love, you too began to stray,
To mossy logs where sunlight lost its way.
Your calls grew faint, your taps a distant hum,
I feared some other beat had made you numb.
I pecked out questions, sharp across the air,
But your replies felt fractured, lost somewhere.
Had some new grove caught you unaware?
Some scent of change? Some song I couldn’t bear?

Her Truth - The Female Woodpecker’s Side

He didn’t know-I flew to find a cure,
For our old dogwood, fading, fragile, unsure.
Its bark had dulled, its leaves were losing tone,
A burden I had quietly made my own.
I kept my distance, fearing he might see,
The dying tree that once held dreams for me.
My answers short, my songs subdued and torn-
To guard him from the grief I had long borne.

Now perched apart, on lonely, splintered boughs,
The truth, unfeathered, softly speaks aloud.
Each misread tap, each glance, each silent flight-
Fractured the branch we built, and stole our light.
Regret’s a forest where echoes mourn and drift,
A love misheard, now buried in the mist.
Oh, fragile hearts with wings that beat apart,
To know the truth-yet play no mending part.