One eye glances askance,
glittering jet lustre.
Is Morrighan watching?
Will she visit you?
Wings open like a broken umbrella,
a sheen of funereal feathers.
Is it alone or are there three
to strike fear in the hearts of the enemy?
Talons scratch a morbid beat
to the castanet clacking of its beak.
Sacred sister of the phantom queen:
the maiden, the mother or the crone?
If, by chance, you should kill a crow,
bury it and wear black when you do so.
Kim M. Russell, 2017
My response to Imaginary Garden with Real Toads Fireblossom Friday: Corvid and sit a while and linked to dVerse Poets Pub Open Link Night
Fireblossom says that the crow is her totem animal and she adores them, that even if you don’t like crows, they make wonderful fodder for writing. She says that crows are often used in literature and films to convey a sense of foreboding or death but they are extremely intelligent birds. They can figure out complex tasks–like using a stick to help them retrieve a piece of food–and they can distinguish individual human faces so that they know who is a friend and who to avoid. If you feed crows, they will sometimes bring trinkets and shiny objects to leave as gifts for you.
Today we are writing new poems about crows or from the point of view of a crow, or using them as metaphors.
You seem to know your crow lore very well. 🙂 I love the third and fifth verses especially.
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Thank you, Rosemary!
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Brava.. 🌹🌹🌹
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“Wings open like a broken umbrella, a sheen of funereal feathers” Love that description. I am with Rosemary, you know your crows. 🙂
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Thank you, Susie!
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Hats off to you Kim!
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Thanks Candy!
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This is soo beautifully haunting, Kim! ❤️ especially drawn by those stellar closing lines; “If, by chance, you should kill a crow, bury it and wear black when you do so.” Kudos!❤️
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Thank you, Sanaa!
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Love this! You have amazing imagery and lore in this write.
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Thank you!
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I especially love the castanet clacking of its beak.
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Thank you, Sherry!
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Yes, you do know your crows! Googled Morrighan, and now I know something I didn’t!
Anna :o]
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😊
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I love how you have woven the lore and myth of the crow through this poem Kim ☺💖 xxx
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Thanks Xenia!
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☺💜🙋 xxx
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A good mix of folkloric and mythological…well written and a very good read.
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Thanks Paul!
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This line is so, so good:
“Wings open like a broken umbrella,
a sheen of funereal feathers.”
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😊
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Crows are very smart birds ~ I love what you did and this is my favorite part as well Kim:
Wings open like a broken umbrella,
a sheen of funereal feathers.
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Thank you, Grace!
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OH the sounds of this poem! Love every single feather. I love crows… and all other birds, as well. Thank you for sharing this 🙂
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Thanks for reading, Jilly!
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This makes me want to make sure I don’t harm any crow, but they are interesting birds.
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All birds have quirks that make them interesting but the crow is so intelligent and features in various mythologies around the world.
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Fine advice, and i see you did your research before writing this!
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I did check some names and facts but I already knew about crows in Celtic mythology. Thanks for reading!
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Crows are making their way into poetry today but also outside, for me. The crow is a fascinating totem to study and to watch in their unique process of communication.
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Crows are so intelligent and curious, Victoria, and when raised by humans are loyal, returning after they’ve been released into the wild.
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Oh! as little as I know of Celtic mythology, you hit a lot of cylinders in your poem~! I have read somewhere that Morrigan IS the crow. She can shapeshift to any animal she wants to use. And the three who go into battle…I can’t remember their names but they are Morrigan’s sisters I believe. They are a lot like the Valkyrie to me. LOL! “Castanets and clacks”…they do that! I have only had a couple of experiences with the same crow at the Chattachooie Nature Center here. It was caged for a reason., It couldn’t fly right. had been hit by a car. my young son kept trying to open the cage and entice him out…but I caught him most times. lol. That crow was so intelligent. He would push twigs at us through the cage. We would bring snacks for him. he would take them and push more sticks at us. LOL! We haven’t gone back in about 20 years and I am sure Crow was in Crow Heaven by now.
Wonderful poem, Kim.
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Thank you, Jane! You’re right about Morrighan being THE crow and shapeshifting. I’ve never seen a crow in captivity but I know of pet crows that have been raised by humans. They are intelligent and apparently very loyal, even when freed into the wild again.
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I wish I had one. Beautiful and intelligent beings.
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“Wings open like a broken umbrella” is wonderful. I’ve also always loved the phrase “glance askance,” just a wonderful rhythm to it.
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Thank you, Rachel!
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I don’t know the celtic crow stories but I like the sinister image you have captured.
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Thank you! I’ve been interested in Celtic stories for a long time, having lived in Ireland many years ago, and in my childhood I enjoyed novels by Welsh writers which were full of myths and legends, such as The Owl Service – another favourite bird of mine.
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Crows are beautiful and mysterious as is this poem. Loved it!
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Thank you so much!
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Such rich pagan lustre! Reading itself is an initiation.
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Thank you, Brendan!
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Not very familiar with Celtic lore but I know they thought of ravens/crows as the wisest of animals – and I suppose there is a reason why they have been associated with witches and wizards, not just because they are black. And your snappy short lines mirror that castanet of their beaks…
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Thanks for reading and commenting!
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I love these lines:
“Wings open like a broken umbrella”
“Talons scratch a morbid beat
to the castanet clacking of its beak.
Sacred sister of the phantom queen:
the maiden, the mother or the crone?”
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Thank you, Shawna!
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Love the castanets here especially!
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💃
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I saw a video once of a crow using a bottle cap to sled down the snow on a rooftop, then fly back to the top with the cap and do it again. They are quite intelligent, but my dog does not like when a murder of them, or even a single crow, lands in our front yard. They probably wouldn’t leave him any trinkets.
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