Still life with hawk
January 29th, 2004
Yesterday morning, while I was in the Special Collections reading room, a hawk landed on a tree near Austin Hall. Hawks often hunt and perch in that area, so the bird’s presence did not surprise me. It did, however, make for a poetic winter tableau–a hawk taking shelter from light snowfall in bare branches that offered little refuge. I wanted to write a poem, but I could not express the scene in words . . . so now the scene is frozen in my thoughts as a silent, wordless haiku.
Entry Filed under: Personal Miscellany
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1. Desultor | January 29th, 2004 at 11:01 am
It was right by Austin that I saw a hawk swoop for a kill for the first time, last summer.
Yesterday I saw one perched in a tree branch, right outside a fifth floor window of Pound Hall. It was no more than fifteen feet away. I’m so glad to have them around here! They are really fascinating creatures.
2. j | January 29th, 2004 at 5:46 pm
That is indeed a poetic image. I would have loved to have watched that. Hawks are some of my favorite birds.
Here’s my poor attempt at capturing a hawk on my office’s balcony in poetry.
3. Vernica | January 30th, 2004 at 4:30 am
Thanks for sharing your perspectives and poetry. I hesitated to publish that post because I am making an effort to stay on topic, but now I am glad that I decided to take a risk and slide back into personal journaling.
Hawks are really amazing. The hawk that I described in my post was in that tree all morning, and I was completely captivated by its presence. My co-workers all clamor to the big picture windows in the reading room to watch the hawks whenever they are spotted by Austin.
Suddenly, I feel inspired to take up birdwatching–perhaps keeping a journal of bird poems instead of the traditional birder’s checklist :-).