Rooks

Gold cherry
Poem of the week
Pick of the Month

By fatboy74

Wed, 11 Nov 2020
  • 5148 reads
17 comments
 

Rooks

 

Past the backbone’s second hump and hollow hawthorns,

a foam of brackish snow and distant light.

 

I heard them first, a row of hanging rooks – inverted.

One eye that held a gaze – pestled sockets,

beaks torn or lost or tethered by a lonely vein

or sported at a jaunty angle - here

a stretch of fossil wing unfinished.

The nearest and the first, a head down,

an open smile from tip to root, a happy darkness

and a warning.

 

The wind picked up. I watched them dance.

 

They come to me at different times – a restless night,

the carving off the bone – the thread of veins exposed

against the light.

Certificate PG
Poem
A Doughnut Sends A Postcard Home
Nature

Comments

Submitted by lenchenelf on

Stark, haunting imagery, so damn good.

best wishes

Lena x

 

Submitted by sean mcnulty on

Lovely and bewitching

 

Submitted by Ewan on

imagery, dense and full of meaning.
Great to read something from you again. Welcome back!

E x

Author Page at the 'Zon
 

Submitted by fatboy74 on

Thanks Lena, it's been a while since we have spoken on here. 

 

Submitted by fatboy74 on

...and Sean and Ewan for the kind words as well.

 

Submitted by onemorething on

This is brilliant. I love it. :)

 

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

Such a powerful poem, a warning on many levels.  This wonderful piece is our facebook and twitter pick of the day - do share it.

Submitted by fatboy74 on

Ah thanks onemorething and philip sidney, lovely end to a crap day, cheers.

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

you go out walking, and  in the clear air and nature's shapes, your mind feels safe to fly free, exposed as black wings in a white sky. And then you are brought down,  confronted by grotesque evidence of our cruelty. The shock and horror of knowing my species did this. Your poem brought back this shock and horror vividly, "against the light". A great tribute of care. You made words fly

 

Submitted by fatboy74 on

Your comments are better than my poems Di - thanks so much. 

 

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

Beautifully done - and so nice to see you posting again. I've seen this and it's every bit as chilling as you describe  (except once - a field I used to drive past during a general election - the crows were interspersed with posters endorsing the Tory candidate)

 

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

This is our Poem of the Week - Congratulations!

 

Submitted by fatboy74 on

Thanks Poncey, that's much appreciated. Hope all is well.

 

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

This is our Poem of the Month - Congratulations!

 

Submitted by seashore on

Strangely enough I was thinking about you and wondering if you were still around.   So pleased to see you are and to find your latest offering.  You never disappoint - just read it 3 times, gave me shivers and that's meant as a compliment obviously.

 

 

 

 

Submitted by fatboy74 on

 Thanks that's great and thanks Simon and hello lovely seashore.

 

Submitted by seashore on

Hello back...if you look at POW 30th November...there's me after 4 year absence!