By Silver Grey Fox
This morning driving along a section of pines
the roadside vista reminds me of my glimpse
of the piney woods sections outside Houston
in Texas with the mixture of pines and shrubs
and the temperate nature of the forested area.
Then, rather suddenly I notice a bald eagle,
its white head distinct above its black raven-
colored body, sitting atop a solitary pine.
And, for a moment I pause on a turn-off
to observe its falcon-like instinctive pattern
of behavior when searching for and seeking
prey. Only for a moment, so it seems, am I
privy to its activity as it circles, then swoops
down earthward to snatch what I can’t quite
see until it climbs back above nearby brush.
Then, there, visible in its talons, is one of the
larger snakes I have seen in this section of
South Florida. Oh, sometimes I wish for the
spontaneous nature of such feathered creatures–
for the eyesight, for the instinct, for the ability
to move so gracefully at times and then also
having the speed to so naturally snatch its prey.
Ah, with the eagle nestled back somewhere
now in this piney woods to enjoy its catch,
I continue my drive back into my morning’s
activities—banking, shopping, laundering…
a far cry from my moment’s enjoyment with
the eagle sighting. Such is our connection,
my bird and I, such is our likeable difference.
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About Silver Grey Fox:
As a writer-poet, I continue trying to gain an understanding of the enigma that is mine and that which was the late Theodore Roethke’s own. He once said, “What I love is near at hand.” Thus, there is so much yet left to be explored; plus, as he noted, “Being, not doing, is my first joy.” What with nature’s beauty all around, and my continuing to reach out and touch, feel and appreciate such, along with having opted to re-open myself to love and life, I continue seeking to more fully define my identity, so I write and write some more.
_________________________
Links Of Interest:
On Theodore Roethke — Theodore Roethke (1908-1963) — Poetry Foundation
On Gary Snyder — Gary Snyder (b. 1930) — Poetry Foundation
On Amiri Baraka/LeRoi Jones — Amiri Baraka/LeRoi Jones Bio
On Black Holes — Black Holes — NASA Science Astrophysics
-posted on red Ravine, Thursday, February 28th, 2013
Dear S G Fox, Welcome to Redravine! Great to have you join us…
Like your piece very much! It places the reader right where you were, in time and place with all its natural beauty! It also reminded me of a haiku I composed while driving between Wyoming and Montana, which I’ll share with you:
circling overhead
I’d love to gaze at raptors
must watch road instead
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Gratitude for your poetry Silver Grey Fox. It’s peaceful and makes me want to walk in your shoes for day. My fave line:
“Such is our connection,
my bird and I, such is our likeable difference.”
oliverowl, I hope to take that drive between Wyoming & Montana one day. Turning into a tanka:
circling overhead
I’d love to gaze at raptors
must watch road instead —
meandering river bed
dry as a bone, leads me home.
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QM, …continuing…
circling overhead
I’d love to gaze at raptors
must watch road instead-
meandering river bed
dry as a bone
leads me home.
no one waits for me
in the place where now I live
silence hangs heavy
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oliverowl, thinking of you. And continuing:
circling overhead
I’d love to gaze at raptors
must watch road instead-
meandering river bed
dry as a bone
leads me home.
no one waits for me
in the place where now I live
silence hangs heavy…
your face in a whirl of desert pine
circles and holds my heart.
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no one waits for me
in the place where now I live
silence hangs heavy…
your face in a whirl of desert pine
circles and holds my heart.
home is where the heart
longs to be, and that is where
love keeps its promise.
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no one waits for me
in the place where now I live
silence hangs heavy…
your face in a whirl of desert pine
circles and holds my heart.
home is where the heart
longs to be, and that is where
love keeps its promise.
After everything is said,
the things we do hold the truth.
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QM, you’ve worked up a very piece yourself! Thanks for sharing….
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