1
Crow sits
in the back
of my mind,
2
insistent call
searching
for the source.
3
Crow exists as a continuation–
night overlapping with day.
4
Dark shapes,
constant motion.
Behind my eyes,
constant motion.
5
I do not know which to prefer,
black branches
or the hint of green,
the waiting
or the surprise.
6
Wings cross the sky
of my isolation,
weaving through wind
rattling the glass,
suspended
between my longing
and the possibility of flight.
7
Am I rising or setting?
Can light return
me to my rhythms,
or will only darkness come
to fulfill my desires?
8
I send messages
by breathing,
by listening
through the silences
of birds.
9
I mark the edges
with the songs
of memory.
10
The sky reflects
on the questions
that weave my solitude
with songs.
11
I walk the landscapes
of the unseen,
holding the fear
of endings
in the shadows
of glittering eyes.
12
The sun rises above the roof.
Crow calls me to attention.
13
The days remain
undivided,
uncalendared.
Like the blackbird,
unknown.
The NaPoWriMo Day 14 prompt asks for a poem that “deals with the poems, poets, and other people who inspired you to write poems” . I return often to Wallace Stevens’ poem “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird”. Every time it opens new doors. And Joni…
I have done numerous poems and works of art involving crows, and a selection of the art appears amidst the stanzas above.
K. 
Impressive ode, especially combined with the images. What a lovely take on the prompt!
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Thanks Angela. It was just what I needed today.
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This is one of my all-time favorite inspiration poems, too. I’m mesmerized by the crow art pieces, especially the last two.
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Thanks Jennifer. That poem keeps coming back to me. And Crow has been hanging around in my art for quite awhile.
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I feel this is like a spell or a meditation, reading it a journey. Lots to think about here.
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Stevens’ poem has so many layers of inspiration. I am always returning to it.
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Oh my, this is gorgeous. I really want to learn how to write an ode. Looks like someone is thinking alot about crows
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Thanks Jude. Crow has been following me around for awhile…
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I love this, Kerfe. The crows know. I love watching them.
I like Stevens’ poem, too, and your poem has so many layers, so much to think about. The crow art is marvelous, too. I particularly love the one above Joni–it seems purposeful, but somehow hopeful or joyful, too. I guess the background reminds me of both sky and sea, but the colors are shades that make my heart sing–I guess it’s the way I feel when I look up at a blue sky and the crows flying there.
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That’s the oldest collage here. I did it when my older daughter was in middle school, putting together a portfolio for high school applications (she’s 35 now…) We did art together in the evening. It’s the one here that’s directly inspired by Stevens too. I have it framed, somewhere in storage. Someday it will be on my wall again. In the meantime, Crow paid me a visit again today, at least vocally–I couldn’t locate where he was outside.
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What a sweet image I have of you and your daughter working on art together.
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I don’t know if sweet describes any aspect of our relationship! But I think we both enjoyed it as a calm space in the stress of high school admissions…
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Hahaha. OK.
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Bravo! :))
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Thanks Janice!
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We’re always in transition. Some are better than others. Some are not.
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It’s true… and sometimes what looks dark at the beginning ends up in light, or what looks light becomes dark..
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