crow poems.

one of my traveling poetry class students and a also bird haiku writer friend recently wrote crow poems. rich with symbolism, crows and their glossy black wings are often looked at as connections with the magical and whimsically mysterious parts of life. they're also interpreted sometimes as messengers when we lose loved ones.

photograph courtesy of maryann neblock

below are these freshly feather-ready crow poems by maryann neblock and sam traten.

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CROW
By Maryann Neblock (haiku love, once more)

Shiny black feathers
You “caw” to me while in flight
Heaven’s wings aloft


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Eating Crow
By Sam Traten

It's fun to believe this story
from the war of 1812.
The taste of crow was said
to be foul, none would eat it.

A temporary cease fire was
called to celebrate a holiday.
An American soldier crossed
into British-held territory and

shot a crow down. Having
seen this a Redcoat officer
walked up, complimented him
on his marksmanship and asked
to see his sharp-shooting weapon.

Turning his own gun on the
hapless soldier, the duper ordered
the soldier to take a bite of crow.
Returning the man's rifle with a
smug smile, he turned away.

The Yankee said wait, now you
eat crow, and leveled the piece
at the Brit's heart. What's to be
done? The prankster took his bite.

200 years later, behind a truck
that with glancing blow struck
and killed a hapless crow, I
stopped to pick it up

Remembering the story, and
being a skeptic of old war stories,
I skinned the bird, sautéed it
in butter in an iron skillet, dressed
with salt & pepper.

It's not bad. Not Peking duck but
not too bad.