Friday, September 14, 2012

 
I've never seen a gray owl.
They are a  very large bird that some call "ghost owl"

There is poem I love about the gray owl.
Poet Ted Kooser likes it too. He says,
"To touch our hearts, a poem needs to rise above mere anecdote
and reach into something beyond, something greater, or, as the Chinese poets said,
'a poem must lift its eyes.'

A Sighting
by Connie Wane

The gray owl had seen us and fled
but not far. We followed noiselessly,
driving him from pine to pine:
I will not let thee go except thou bless me.


He flew as though it gave him no pleasure,
forcing himself from the bough,
falling untill his wings caught him:
they had to stroke hard, like heavy oars.
  
He must have just eaten
something that had, itself, just eaten.
Finally he crossed the swamp and vanished
as into a new day,hours before us,

and we stood near the chest-high reeds,
our feet sinking, and felt
we'd been dropped suddenly from midair
back into our lives.

Reading this poem I became part of the "we"
part of the experience
I think I will put spotting a gray in flight
on my bucket list.

12 comments:

  1. I didn't know sighting Grey owls meant anything and it's a lovely post with a beautiful poem, Thanks for sharing :)

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  2. The experience of seeing them , as seeing anything in nature
    that takes your breath away and leaves you in awe
    Something that takes you away from the present
    a spiritual experience
    How's down under?

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  3. Thanks for the beautiful photograph and the poem Suz.
    Costas

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  4. oh magnificent....i would love to see one up close...have seen a few in the trees but from a distance....love the poem as well suz...hope you have a wonderful weekend

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  5. Beautiful! A lovely poem to go with a lovely photo. Owls are so intriguing! I have seen one or two, but never close enough to see it well. I live in a heavily wooded area, but surprisingly haven't seen them. I know they are there, though, remaining a mystery!

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  6. this is beautiful as usual... thanks for sharing...

    JJRod'z

    btw, been busy for awhile... docs are almost finished. and ready for submission for my application for permanent residency... this is it!... :-)

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    Replies
    1. oh Jj that is wonderful...let's celebrate when it happens!

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  7. I have never seen many owls, but I would like to.

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  8. this gripped my heart shivery
    and my bucket list stretched too:)
    -Jennifer

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  9. So other-worldy, is it because of their size and wide eyes? Thank you for the post, also loved your cemetery visit photos. What a beautiful place, it's on my list to visit!

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