Crow Conference

 Crow Conference

Set up a ruckus, crow conference. Passionate discussion! What is so important, bringing such angst?   I am simply a bystander in this crazy ear shattering debate tossed back and forth like a badminton game.  Marshland trees- of Alder, birch, oak and cottonwood- are their conference room.  They have come from far and wide.  Is it a judgment session, a family reunion, or feud?  Calls ring out in dark rasping vowels drifting in the wind and echoing through the canopy.

Was I invited to their meeting, set my toe through the door? They are unaware and mindless of their interruptions, as I proceed; in my own endeavors of respite and contemplation, reading and thinking. Where is my peace? They are shady peace thieves! Shall I Stay and wait?  Surly they must tire of arguments.

In a sudden roar of clapping beaks they rush skyward, rudely announcing themselves- spitting venom! Board room exits in black cloud-members en-mass. An unwanted few stay behind, wanting to continue unfinished business. Unwanted by me!

Feverish new meeting: The Process begins in earnest, an entertaining discussion by scant remaining few.  Just drop the subject! They cannot. Crow conference pulls at the departing to entertain themselves anew,as only crows can do. With a rising huff of cries they now flock, bristling and brushing through the air away.

Departing, they say their final goodbyes and drifting farewells; on, and on, and on.  Floating and flying overhead,like a cloud of black air crafts, one by one.  Finally my tormentors are gone. Will they return?  The peace settles. Solitude resumes, while my shattered nerves breathe a sigh of relief, in a new melody. I cling to a new inner, joyous and harmonious tune and smile.

                    

Kathy Van Kurin        December 2016                

Reviews

[barleygirl]

Crows cawing can be very annoying, but somehow you've woven it into a mini-drama including a nice sprinkling of "office" lingo that makes this personification playful & original. This is highly imaginative & I admire your wide-angle thinking as you watch the creatures around you! (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[Kathy Van Kurin]

Oh Margie,
Your take on this poem just tickled my heart! I am glad you got a kick out of this because I had a blast writing it. Crows are fascinating critters and many of us understand how interesting they are.
It's neat to see how others view the writing of one another. I love your reviews and thanks much.
Blessings!
Kathy

[barleygirl]

You have such a beautiful spirit! Here's to watching it fly in the new year! *smile*

[Tabby Mac]

Having crows in my back yard and the pleasures of watching them and their so called meetings and what nots I thought this piece was brilliant! I once watched them chase down a hawk for what I think was getting one of their young. Loud buggers they are! I love how you portray nature and all its beauty even when annoying you managed to make the money seem interesting! I could feel the anxiety they caused with their ruckus! Love your style and your voice! Great imagery and spin on a crowfest! Tabby

[Kathy Van Kurin]

Tabby Mac,
I am surprised at how familiar people are with crows and their behavior; a bird with a particularly strong behavior and which are so vocal and have a definite group mentality. I have seen them be very bold with a larger bird. Not sure if a hawk, may of been a buzzard.........Its been fun to see the different responses from others about these guys! Thanks for your informative and interesting review.............Bless you so much...............kathy

[Marvin Thomas Cox-Flynn..]

LOL! ... I have been there and can relate to that of which your speak so well ... Not everything in nature is beautiful or wonderful ... Nicely done ...

[Kathy Van Kurin]

Marvin, Thomas, Cox, Flynn,
Nature is sometimes a paradox; It pulls a person in because of its loveliness but then the reality of "eat or be eaten" places a harsh sharp edge to it. I try to see the good or beauty generally speaking. Crows seem to illicite strong response thats for sure........................
Bless you. Kathy

[Marvin Thomas Cox-Flynn's Dark Tales & More Store]

Nice to meet you Kathy ... And Yes, nature is a paradox ... As for me I possess an avid interest in crows, for you see crow come from the Latin corvus meaning raven ... Crows, as ravens, eat all sorts of grain and such but are also birds or carrion eating dead animals and such just as do the common vulture ... In other words, the crow is a small black vulture, in the sense of what it will eat, that often travels in large groups ... Now, even more interesting is the fact that a large number of crows, as beautifully described in your poem, is called a "murder." ... I undertook all this curious revelation of information back in 2013 when I finally sat down to write my dark tale, Ravenous, and wished to know all that term related to ... Guess what? ... Ravenous and raven are synonymous, as ravenous refers to the appetite of a raven which is also called a crow and vice verse all the way around ... I learned all this while researching the origins of the surname I had selected for a character in my story and found that his name, Byrne, is Gaelic meaning of the Raven, which suited his character as a character perfectly and to a tee ... Your poem swept me back to the time of my writing of that tale to relive it again in visualizing all you described your well detailed poem so full of feeling and imagery ... I will be re-posting it again soon here on the cafe ... Have a pleasant weekend ...

Marv

[emmajoy]

Such a wonderfully aware piece of writing! Seems you were swept up in that crow vortex, carried too deeply into their world, disturbed, distressed by their clamour and avian warfare.
' 'Calls ring out in dark rasping vowels drifting in the wind and echoing through the canopy '

Seems we humans have the hell, '.. they rush skyward rudely announcing themselves spitting venom! ' - along with the heaven when it comes to our flying buddies. Those glorious murmurations of starlings yet the crazy goings.on of the crows..

Fine writing, the brevity of phrasing so aptly applied, Kathy.. you have true skill, appreciating that less is more. (Do you give lessons?!)

Many thank yous for sharing.

[Kathy Van Kurin]

Emmajoy,
This particular inspiration day was one of single crow voices gathered as one in a crazy making blaze! They mesmerizing, wonderful and hateful all in morsel of nuts; just hard to explain. The truth is that crows are pretty darn smart! Thank you for you very encouraging and supportive review; your are pretty nice to give good counsel and I bet you don't even know your doing it . You are a poetry counselor................hee, hee, hee. Blessings to you Miss emmaJoy.

[.]

Hmmm. Those pesky crows, huh? They just never know when to shut up!

Where I live, we don't really have crows. Rather, Magpies are the disturbers of the peace in this area. Endless crying calls and seriously dangerous attacks during their breeding season. A menace.

I enjoyed the idea of a crow conference. A very apt description of what they get up to. Peace reigns for now. But for how long? I sense another conference is due soon! :) A nice write.

[Kathy Van Kurin]

Doodley,
Pesky crows or pesky magpies; Yeeikes! Help us. Well, Amsterdam had a bird that looked just like a jay but this one was, I think white and dark blue? Maybe it's your magpie. You should write a poem about magpies; I am so serious. You have spurred my interest big time Mr. Doodley! Bless you for every helpful comment and constructive direction. People like you add that little bit of spice to the writing experience...............Blessing like always.
kathy

[Robert Haigh]

A poem full of tension and intrigue! It reminds me, slightly, of Hitchcock's splendid film, "The Birds." No dramatic death present in this poem, but the drama is there. An entertaining write!

[Kathy Van Kurin]

kRobert Haigh,
Well what an informative, encouraging and just nice to hear review you have shared! "Tension and intrigue." That is so encouraging; I can hardly think your talking about this poem. I thin we all try our best and input like this just is so helpful. Bless you................Kathy

[MsJewel]

Simply lovely. I love the last line. :) Julie

[Kathy Van Kurin]

Thanks Julie. Nice to hear from you and have a good week! Blessings to you. Kathy

[Jennie Baron]

I love the conversational tone of this poem, and in fact I'm inclined to call it a story or essay rather than a poem. The imagery is definitely poetic and the material is original. I'm glad that you ended on a positive note, that the crows brought joy and harmony. Very well done!

[Kathy Van Kurin]

Jennie,
Nice to hear from you today and thanks for giving my crow tale a read. It was a fun thing to write and an interesting experience to say the least. bye for now..............Kathy

[Nigel Newman]

Kathy Hi. I was browsing WC and came upon this. I found it enchanting! If you read any reviews I've done elsewhere on WC you'll see that alongside genuine praise I'm prone to making grammatical observations ... well, yes, I could make a few suggestions here about random capital letters etc. But the more I read this, the more I thought, hey just chill. This beautifully places the reader under the trees alongside 'you' in pursuit of tranquility. The observations about crow behaviour, and the translation of this into human terms, really make the piece come to life. And they are noisy so-and-so's!!! I sense someone who is a genuine observer of nature.

Nice work!
Nigel

[Kathy Van Kurin]

Your review is so relaxed and just nice. Finding solitude is a treasure and I love how get that! I am sure my poem is something that is just a story but no one has yet seen it's analogy side that maybe reminds them of a societal condition within our fair land...................So bless you for being such a blessing; you are a natural. Thanks for picking up on my need and appreciation of creation-nature but golly aren't we all!? Bye for now...............Kathy

[andrew mitchell]

i like the crows and the sounds they bleat out, it has an outback feel of peace, away from human intervention. nice work.

[Kathy Van Kurin]

Andrew Mitchell,
Yes these birds are real brazen in their bleating; you got that right! "Bleating" Hmmmm, that word is a perfect description. Isn't it nice as you say to be out of "human intervention"? You have that right too............Thanks for such a nice and fun, helpful review................Thank you.......Kathy

[Shabeeh Haider]

Beautiful narrative.
At times we want to be alone but these crows had a mind of their own.
Must have been wonderful when they finally flew away and left you to ponder on your thoughts.
Thoroughly enjoyable.

[Kathy Van Kurin]

Shabeeh Haider,
You are so right! I was simply aching for the whole bunch to finally leave me alone! Argh...It seemed to take forever...........It is so nice to hear your lovely and positive review.............Bless you much........Kathy