Singled Out

(observing the newly hatched chicks on the river )

Weakest, frailest of them all,

against the lurk of danger's call.

Soon their numbers will deplete

by pike beneath the water's calm.

Black crows those wretched birds of death

are set to wreak their wicked best.

Survival of the fittest reigns

and human beings live the same.

Reviews

[Robert Trakofler]

Thank god the pike spit me out when I was a kit....guess he didn’t like this bunny’s bitter blood brew:) I have a riverside trail that I like to watch the baby ducklings trail behind there mothers I frequently sit by the waterside and eat my lunch and nature away the city before I start my day:)

[Chris Shaw]

Aren't those baby ducklings cute? I was also watching a moorhen with her four chicks, they resembled bumble bees darting on water, they were so small. You enjoy your lunch by the waterside Bunny, watching the wildlife. That's what I do when I can. Thank you for checking in.

Chris

[Chris Shaw]

Thanks Jibey. You know I did study Macbeth once :) Really appreciate your visit and thoughts. Have a good Sunday.

Chris

[Kay]

What a powerful way to end the poem: "and human beings live the same." It makes you think about the hierarchy of the wilderness, how the shark eats the bird that eats the fish - or in this case, the crow hungrily eyes the unknowing ducklings. Unlike the rest, humans maintain this unnatural constancy of ultimate domination and ignorance. We are seemingly unaffected by the occurrences around us, whether that be the loss of forests or species (we've found sustenance in artificial creation). Even though in the long run climate change is having negative impacts and many animals are on the extinction list, for the most part we go on like it doesn't matter.

Great poem Chris, I looking forward to reading more!

[Chris Shaw]

I really appreciate your detailed and interesting review Kay. Thanks so much.

Chris

[cimmy wuv xxxooo]

Short but extreamly well written, loved the meaning to it. And the rhyne scheme was fantastic. Really enjoyed the way you penned that.

[Chris Shaw]

Many thanks cimmy for reviewing. Your visit much appreciated.

Chris

[cimmy wuv xxxooo]

Very much welcome :)

[Unspoken poet]

I like this, it's cute really and the flow is lovely

[Chris Shaw]

You are spoiling me with your visits and I like it. Thank you so much :)

Chris

[Unspoken poet]

not a problem....
i like reading other people's writes

[Jibey]

I liked the way this was structured and rhymed; it read like a kind of incantation... thinking of the witches in .Macbeth. - ''Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble'm🙂)... Yes, Nature is 'red in tooth and claw' - and human beings are not much different - except we have a choice. Neat, arresting, sobering.

[Chris Shaw]

Many thanks Jibey. I did study Macbeth and I can remember that
part very clearly. Bubble, bubble
toil and trouble, by the twitching of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes :) Appreciate your review.

Chris

[Edie Blue Starfish]

Nature gives us beauty as easily as it takes it away.
The last line has me interpreting two ways. Both work.

[Chris Shaw]

Many thank you Edie for considering these lines. Truly appreciated.

Chris

[Wondering Mind]

There is a balance of sorts in this 'survival' character of Mother Nature. Alas, we -humans- have disturbed it.
Thank goodness for sanctuaries and no-fly zones!

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Wondering mind for your thoughtful response.

Chris

[Ken Simm.]

I detect a certain bitterness but said with conviction. Remarkable if said with a certain world weariness.. I have indeed seen pike take ducklings in the loch at the bottom of my garden. The pike grow to quite some size in there. I actually saw our osprey take one the other day as well. It struggled but left me with the feeling of circles.
Excellent points and poem.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Ken. It happens, but with a tad of sadness that those lovely fluffy chicks better watch out. I don't like to witness it, but have. I prefer the pike to crows :) Many thanks for your visit.

Chris

[Corset]

They do. I wonder at the chain of life, and the order, in the African heat we are no longer top of the food chain, in the deep woods we learn fast that trees do not always mean safety, in the urban jungle they kill with and without cause of hunger, there is sometimes safety in numbers if that number is not starving.

[Chris Shaw]

Dear Corset, many thanks for your thoughtful response and your welcome visit. Both are valued. All good wishes.

Chris

[augustus]

How terribly sad! Pikes are savage creatures.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Augustus. I appreciate your visit.

Chris

[Ted Kniffen]

Good one, Chris. Here at home we have far more Canada geese and they'll nest anywhere so its not unusual to se a parade of goslings following parents through parking lots or waddling across streets.
Still, there is all that poop.

[Chris Shaw]

Thanks Ted. I just love watching what you have described. They are really good parents as well. Thanks for checking in and have yourself a good week-end.

Chris