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Why the Crows are Laughing
by Ken HarnischA crow caws from above somewhere, perhaps a telephone line;
I listen to its laughter, which comes and goes in waves.
I think the bird is mocking me, or
It is a scout for vultures, whose wings are rattling in the eaves.
How odd, to think the birds are speaking to each other
And calling down their carrion when frailty, at which
I am a champion, shows its steady and persistent face.
I am thinking of the canaries I kept in cages;
The parakeets I fed cashews to between the bars;
The parrots who I tortured into demanding both a cracker and a beer
If there is some Winged Scorekeeper in the sky
Then maybe he will tally up my goodnesses
Remembering I changed the paper in the cages
And fed the birds promptly when I got home from school
Some wise avian judge, no doubt an owl, will listen
To both sides of the argument. Sustain objections.
Decide, at bottom, that I was one of the least of those
For whom the fauna, rising to their ire,
Believe is owed any sort of violent retribution.
And if that is true, then I will resort to wondering
Why the crows are laughing, and the ravens seem so
Dispossessed, each time I happen to be wandering by.
07/06/2015 Author's Note: A little whimsical, M. But I think and hope there's something worth stealing in this poem. Good luck!
Posted on 07/06/2015
Copyright © 2025 Ken Harnisch
| Member Comments on this Poem |
| Posted by Kristina Woodhill on 07/12/15 at 01:12 AM I really liked the "wings rattling in the eaves," the birds keeping tabs on and keeping accounts of human/bird relations. Many seem to look up to "see" God - perhaps it is a Bird, after all, and we are merely the paper changer. ;) |
| Posted by George Hoerner on 07/14/15 at 12:54 AM Very nicely done Ken! |
| Posted by Chris Sorrenti on 07/17/15 at 05:50 PM Ken, as a life long birder, I really enjoyed this piece. Captivating and entertaining stuff. It always blows me away that birds are evolved dinosaurs. Favorite (great) line: The parrots who I tortured into demanding both a cracker and a beer
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