Beneath His Watch

Would the scarecrow climb down from his perch,
his job done and the fields fallow,
the promise of a harvest satisfied
as the roughened hands of the season

gently lay him down upon the plant stubble,
bewitched he watches the white thumbprint
clouds glide slowly over his loose supine body
from an angle most unique, and he sleeps,

until the loam is plowed and turned and the earth
tosses off her frosted frock and awakens the scarecrow
who will arise once more taking his strategic post
protecting the fragility of the life beneath his watch.

Reviews

[Einstein Noodle]

very interesting take on the scarecrow .. they have been used so much lately as an image of peril and great harm .. you have lifted them to new heights ... your language is excellent ... full of warmth, the circle of seasons and Mother Earth ... had to read a couple times ... feels good!
E.

[icelandicblue]

Thanks for such a nice review Einstein. It's fun to look at things from a different angle just like the scarecrow. Thanks again

[TL Boehm]

tosses off her frosted frock and awakens the scarecrow. WOW. there is something "mythical" about this poem that I find appealing.

[icelandicblue]

Fall is coming with Winter licking at her heels. I find scarecrows to be inspirational. ; )

[fireblossom]

This is a great poem. Words are stripped away to the essentials and thus create a portrait easy on the eye and deep to behold. This poem evokes the feeling of cycles of life. I wanted spiced cider and a warm heart to be near over the evenings firelight.

Well done.

BTW - My name is Jan, the Icelandic John. ;-)

[icelandicblue]

Nice to meet you Jan and thank you. My purpose was to strip away the unnecessary and write only of the death and rebirth of the scarecrow and the seasons. I appreciate you reading a second poem. Many thanks.

[MichaelsLyric.com]

Just like many, I was always intrigued by implied characteristics of a scarecrow. Maybe it is sympathy, he does the job, silently, without asking anyone for anything. Great imagery and flow. Thank you for sharing.

[icelandicblue]

The scarecrow can be viewed by so many angles. I prefer the one that alludes to rebirth. Thank you for your kind review.

[Travis Gibson (poetic h..]

You express your talent here excellently. What a way to make a topic art... I really enjoyed this write.

[icelandicblue]

Thanks so much, I appreciate the kind review.

[Travis Gibson (poetic heroics)]

It's always a pleasure.

[Sharon L.H. Kelly]

Such vivid imagery. I will never look at our own tiny garden again without recalling this piece. Very much enjoyed!

[icelandicblue]

Thank you so much Sharon!

[lee von cleef]

The tide pool circled
The eddy held me,
The pa

[icelandicblue]

We stay in place but sometimes that's not a bad thing. Thanks Lee.

[Justine]

I love how this digs into the shelf-life of a scarecrow, his role and responsibilities. "white thumbprint clouds" is a beautiful metaphor. I could relate this to our own lives and our usefulness, for everything has a season. I enjoyed reading this, it's creative and different. Justine.

[icelandicblue]

Thank Justine, I am pleased you liked this one and saw something beyond the scarecrow.

[icelandicblue]

Beautiful Anne, I like it how you put a true soul within your words to a scarecrow, I've always felt something strange with scarecrows, personally they have soul, (if the birds see them as a living object...) I do it too a bit. I felt a mix of your culture here, mixed with where you live ... I saw high cornfields, and had a sense of magic...

Well written!

- Elisa

[icelandicblue]

Thank you so much Elisa, your words always brighten my day.

Awe, you're so welcome dear, I love to be here, when I have a spare moment, you write so beautiful!!! :)

[Angel]

For some reason, I hear happy barking in the distance...a little girl in blue gingham with a little black cairn terrier...
I think her name is Dorothy...

[icelandicblue]

I always loved that scarecrow...I still tear up when she says goodbye.
Thanks Angel.

[Angel]

I do, too, Hun. I've seen it over fifty times...but, like you, I still get misty at the end...

[francis]

Nice piece,good vocabulary and nice imagery.Good job

[icelandicblue]

Hi francis,

So nice to see you! Thanks so much for reading and commenting.