It was a hot summer day and I was about mid-way through my daily walk.
I paused in the shade near the corner, to catch my breath and cool down a bit. I had just been standing there a few moments when it caught my eye: The shadow of something ... moving across the lawn of a nearby house.
As I followed the movement of that shadow, my gaze shifted slowly upward to the source. It turned out to be a crow, moving slowly, gracefully toward a perch high in a tree across the street.
It was quiet as it flew, then sat there looking around ... "judge-like," it appeared to me.
When I got home, I once again sat at the kitchen table and started writing. I had the makings of a poem. Eventually, after several revisions, it became a poem ... and then, in time, was published.
(This morning I noticed that the "Chosen Words" counter has done some flying of its own ... and I want to thank you, one and all, for taking time to drop by for a visit, to spend a few quiet moments here. I hope you liked the interlude ... and you'll come back ... maybe tell a friend about this place ... invite them to take a look ... "where the acorns fall like spent minutes" ...)
Meanwhile, another poem:
FLIGHT
The crow's shadow folds
and unfolds diagonally
across the lawn, up the fence
and away, almost before
I can fix my gaze on
that true flight taking place
well above the rooted houses.
Then silently he courses
toward a high, unobstructed
limb on which to sit
looking down, judge-like in his
dark robe, at the rest of us.
©
1996(originally published in Read, America!)
***
Today's word:
judge-likeAfterthoughts ... in response to your comments:
I've never had that kind of encounter with crows, Featheredpines ... but if I had ... at 4:30 in the morning! ... I think I would've had a couple of words for them ... and they wouldn't have been "good" or "morning" ... I'm still not a morning person, really, but I'm coming around to seeing advantages of an early start ... as long as it's not required ... or dictated by a bunch of squabbling crows.
I'm surprised you don't have crows there, Hechan ... maybe they haven't read the literature ... or maybe they're just having too much fun waking people up in this neck of the woods. Oh, and thank you for the kind words about the poem. I enjoy sharing.
2 comments:
A crow is much nicer than a raven :)
When I lived in Maine it was the crows and not the seagulls that woke me at 4:30 am every morning as they gathered about five feet outside my bedroom window in dozens to squak and shout. I finally gave up and rearranged my day to begin at 4:30 am intead of my usual 8 am!
I love the picture of the "judge" in the black robe on the tree branch. We don't have crows around here...not right here...only "blackbirds." It's been a while since I've seen redwinged blackbirds in my back yard. I like their short song. Even the blackbirds don't have a bad sound, but yes...I know the loudmouthed crows. I don't miss them. I would be disappointed not to have your descriptive poems to start my day...or if read late, to end it right. Thank you so much for this site, Bob.
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