fat young black bird
fat crow
fat innocent
but soon I will see you
in the carrion half-light
of this black caisson
this funeral hearse
unworthy scavenger
as you cluster in a murder
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 this muscle
beyond this 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 energy
what you pick apart
is the afterimage
of a mortal
now eternal
so take your fill crow
have your way raven
fat black bird — do your best
engorge the glorious
then be gone
scatter
and far off
this caisson has delivered its miracle
ab hoc unum solum
photorendering entitled: “gathering” by: alice popkorn
rob kistner © 2019
Sunday Muse 53
Hi! I’m Edgrrr, rob’s shih tzu.
Interesting. I have never known blackbirds to eat dead animals. they may eat worms, lizards, frogs but have never seen them eat dead creatures. We have quite a few of the red winged blackbirds in this area. they hog the birdfeeder though!
Don’t know sbout red-winged blackbirds Toni, but crows are omnivorous scavengers. They will eat “anything”, especially a hungry murder of crows.
I love the message in this Rob! So many beautiful lines! I love how the voice in the poem is talking directly to the crow.
Thank you Carrie! The visual prompt today had me searching through my library of images looking for an additional image of a crow when I came upon this Alice Popkorn piece. Her real name is Cornelia Kopp. I really love her work! I was then drawn from the cute, to the dark, to the sublime.
This is so vivid. It reminds me of the “murder of crows” that seems to show up at every funeral. I had two horrible experiences with it at both my in-laws passing. Free..We are born to walk away from our flesh and bone and enter freedom. Beautiful work!
Thank you Susie. I appreciate your gracious words, and that you took the time to read. Seems folks today won’t read anything much beyond 100 words… again, thank you. I am pleased this resonated for you. 🙂
I’ve heard it said that those shapes we fear may not be devils at all, but angels coming to set us free.
Angel crows? Interesting perspective Shay.
The afterimage of a mortal now eternal – I love that.
Thank uou Sherry… 🙂
I appreciated your skillful presentation of crows, Rob. It brought to mind the many references I’ve read of the manner in which crows often honor the death of one of their own, in which great numbers of them rally around the dear departed for a period of time, and then, as if by command, all fly away. I very much liked your segue to “the essence has gone beyond” and “this caisson has delivered its miracle” …. magic!
Thank you Bev, I am pleased these lines resonated for you. The schizophrenic nature of crows can also have them eating each other.