Corvids have been showing up in my poems since I first met the ravens of Santa Fe. Jose Cuervo was also a pal of mine. Seattle is a crow city, and I like the pesky song-birds, and often talk/sing back to them. So, I’m going to post a series of crow poems - for your amusement and edification. :-)
street art/graphic by Oaxacan artist Samael Aguero - permission pending
CROWING
How all these crows
got tangled up
with human souls
I don’t know
but they’re too much
like us to be completely
untethered
from us unfeathered.
First off,
they’re
noisy & nosy
sticking their hard beaks
wherever
making a ruckus about
whatever
usually food
and they’ll eat
anything
and then
shit
like the kingdom has come
and leave it to someone else
to clean up – much like us
Although
crows are commuters
they don’t work where they live
which means they don’t shit where they live
which makes them
in that sense
unlike
us.
Family creatures
protective
vengeful
communitarian
often mournful
occasionally
stricken with joy
dancing around on bendable knees
drunk on some sudden morsel.
How I love these croaking songsters
wrecking any tune they get their throats around
like latter day Dylans in forlorn choirs.
Crows
attracted to things shiny
willing to leave gifts
but, also
gangsters
ganging up
on threats
to their turf
even eagles flee.
Worse than kidnappers
they raid nests for chicks
and eat them.
Messenger
prophet
trickster
road partner of Jesus and Coyote
Curse a crow at your peril.
Uncle
brother
cousin
companion
guard.
Creator.
Amen.
RW
I car open the urls you’re posting.
I discovered that I could see and hear lots of boat tailed grackles in the Costco parking lot. In fact, I saw a single male puff up and dance and sing for a female, and when she didn't take the bait, he tried her friend...It's always a treat to see them, and why there, I don't know.