Screech

Cherry

By onemorething

Mon, 02 Nov 2020
  • 2483 reads
12 comments
 

The moon is communion 

to an owl: a light of pale wafer

bestowed upon the perspective of night. 

And hootless, a screech owl complains

from high branches, waits 

for a woodpecker's work to be done or

the opportunity of disrepair

to find the refuge of a home.

In the darkness, 

the meditation of water

is a scrutiny of reflection until

the unconscious resurfaces in dreams;

time is malleable - in a reverie

that devours the hours between,

the journey of sleep, a quietus

of ego, reborn each morning. 

Meanwhile, to defy gravity

is its own dimension where a gray morph

is at once November's bird and

the bark of a hickory tree, a silent wing,

the funeral of a shrew. 

This is the wisdom 

an owl would speak to me: 

a yellow eye, the rituals of life

in league with death in the embrace 

of claw and beak, from perch

to the birthright of flight - 

a freedom to be.

 
 

The gray morph eastern screech owl is one of my favourites, part owl, part tree.

Image is from here: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eastern_Screech_Owl.jpg

Also on Twitter: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Spooky_the_Screech_Owl.jpg

https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Little_Sir_Screech_Owl-Bird_Children-0060-46.png

https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Birds_of_New_York_(1910)_(14563871988).jpg

 

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Comments

Submitted by marandina on

Time is indeed malleable. Haunting reflection of the beauty of nature

 

Submitted by onemorething on

It is. Always seems both comprehensible and not at the same time. I'm glad you liked my screech owl poem. Thank you for reading it. :)

 

Submitted by Mark Burrow on

Really admire how you blend the imagery of animals with the impermanence of consciousness. 

 

Submitted by onemorething on

Thank you - I think this very much reflects my reading matter at the moment - a lot of Jung! 

 

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

They do look somehow ridiculous don't they? I hope you'll have a think about our new reading event onemore (I promise not to mention it again though smiley)

 

Submitted by onemorething on

Yes they do! And it makes me love them all the more! I will definitely be attending the reading event, I loved it last time. Whether I pluck up the courage to read something is another matter, I have a couple of weeks to build bravery muscles! :)

 

Submitted by littleditty on

tomorrow -you share some wise owl beautifully, and my brain knew that a moment ago but now cant remember anything! Lol - is that a bit like dreaming and I might be asleep right now? :Oo *coffee break* I really liked your recent 'I don't know' poem - this one knows feel about it, part owl part tree would! No screech here though -ace of diamonds opening wafer communion moon image, cool rhyme dreams/between right there, and the ego sleepdive, dreams, and resurfacing - interesting thinking. Hadn't read this when retweeted it earlier, took pics of moon and noticed rare no reflection on the river :) Lots to think about in your poem -  liked the woodpecker annoying ! Thought that made the owl super ego for a mo, need to read this one again for sure, lots in there -it's super!

 

Submitted by onemorething on

Thanks so much Nicky! You're very lovely. And you're right, I think there is a connection between those poems because I have been reading a lot of Jung again lately and these things come out in our poems, don't they. That's what I love about the gray morph screech owl - they are very definitely part tree! I'm quite taken with the idea that all living things speak to us, one way or another. I'll sidle away now before I sound too bonkers... X

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

I really enjoyed this poem Rachel.

Love the idea of the moon being a communion,  a light pale wafer bestowed upon the perspective of night. What an amazing way to look at the moon.

Don't you just love owls? They conjure up so many magical moments in nature.

Jenny.

 

Submitted by onemorething on

Very happy you enjoyed it. Oh, yes, I love all owls. I can't remember if I told you before or not, but I used to collect owls when I was younger (of the ornamental or cuddly variety obviously...) and I had hundreds of them like a pint-sized, owl obsessed lunatic. I have recovered from collecting them now, except in poems which is more socially acceptable for a woman of my age! Thank you for reading it. x

 

Submitted by Tom Brown on

"part owl, part tree", I must say the photo is fascinating it's even hard to believe it's real. Camouflage?

Tom Brown

 

Submitted by onemorething on

Yes, perfect camouflage! They do barely look real, I agree! :)