•
see you
see you in this carrion half-light
unworthy scavengers
you cluster to ravage
to defile the entity
drawn in this caisson
but you cannot
the living presence it bore
is greater than you
your gluttonness lust
might pick the meat clean
pick the bones dry
but this being has lived well beyond the muscle
beyond the sinew tendon and bone
these were its limits
now it is set free
so help yourself brother crow
sister raven
birds of black
help yourself
this essence has gone beyond
far beyond
to become infinite
pure thought
unbound spirit
what you pick apart is the afterimage
of a mortal now eternal
so take your fill crow
have your way raven
blackbird — do your best
engorge the glorious
then be gone
scatter
and far off
this caisson has delivered its miracle
unus est privatus
• • •
rob kistner © 2010
_____________________
I love the ode to the birds in black. They are beautiful and very necessary creatures. I like how the light hits them at times and turns their feathers a velvety crush navy blue color.
So powerful and descriptive. Excellently done.
Hi Rob,
I like how these scavengers cannot get at the essence of the being.
Evocative poem. Mine is pedestrian and nondescript.
nice one Rob….thanks for sharing this
Interesting perspective Rob.
I agree with Irene. A very interesting perspective.
Nice!
Pamela
It looks like you and I saw similarities in the picture – even to the use of “scattering” in our poems. Your poem, however, is powerful. I love the address to the birds.
Love the detail, gives way to vivid images…beautiful Rob!
Very powerful with such a profound message.
Crow is one of my favorite spirit animals, I love the way you mythologized this. Excellent! 🙂
I really like this…especially your repetition with restatement in a couple of stanzas (for example “so help yourself brother crow/sister raven”). It reminds me of how some of the biblical poets (namely the writers of the various Psalms) would state the first idea, then restate and add to it in the next phrase. It works nicely here. I also like how you bring this picture to life in your narrative and address to those birds.
Nicole