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.
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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