By Domenica Di Piazza, Editorial Director, TFCB

(Left: the work space of poet Dylan Thomas; CC/Wikimedia)

Several years ago, at about this time of year, my sister was describing to me the way that her cockatiel went mad every spring. He generally had the run of her apartment, marching about happily and cooing at her in the way these social birds do. In the springtime, though, he went into a sort of frenzy, dive-bombing her in the mornings. She got to the point where she would crawl about in the mornings to avoid his matinal attacks. Eventually he would get used to the seasonal change, calm down, and go back to his adorable ways.

It was during this same discussion that my sister introduced me to a dive-bombing sort of poem about spring, life and death, and time by Dylan Thomas. It’s called “The Force That through the Green Fuse Drives the Flower.” To my mind, this poem explains the cockatiel’s vernal madness.

Click this link for the full text of the poem. And click here to listen to Dylan Thomas read the poem in his own uniquely memorable voice.

Check in next week for more from TFCB!