TRE CORBIES

TRE CORBIES

A Poem by Vol

I’ve encountered Ravens three times.

When  introduced to the drum that was

Poe’s haunted heartbeat; he was worried 

about something he thought he lost, 

but the Raven knew,

the Raven crowed, 

the Raven mocked. And

I wanted to slap Poe’s emo face;

tell him to get a life…


Dean Arnold was crazy mean,

had a sign on his door that read,

KNOCK, IF NO ANSWER, LEAVE!”

He drank too much while he restored

pre-war Fords, and was married

to a pretty witch, Sheila, and her dry rasp.

She wore long gowns, feather earrings,

and metal studded with bright stones

all over her fingers.

Her bony hand brushed blond straw

off her forehead, and encircled my wrist

as she dry-whispered, “You’re new here;

know where I can get a Raven?

I’ve got two crows, but I want a Raven.”

I looked into those watery blue eyes

and noticed a vacancy there,

so I smiled, said,

Sweetheart, you are a Raven.”

She slumped into a flowery chair

And nodded seriously to herself

for a while…


It turns out the Grand Canyon

is peopled by a large unkindness

of Ravens so black they look like holes

cut in the space and time they occupy.

We were all warned to leave nothing out

while hiking away to see the sights.

They will descend, six, or ten of them

to examine, bird thorough, your camp.

When you return, you’ll wonder

What happened to my toothbrush,

that candy bar I left on the table,

and my car keys?”


Altogether, whether your corvid is an

accessory to murder, or is just unkind,

from what I’ve seen, and what I’ve read,

I can think of worse companions

in a final meeting in the air, than

Odin’s Huginn (thought) and

Muninn (memory) as escorts

to the other side.

© 2024 Vol


My Review

Would you like to review this Poem?
Login | Register




Featured Review

The local old Raven around here I have christened Quoth. We have usually Hooded Crows rather than any other type or Corvidae. And I love the use of collective nouns for these birds of Omen. If you see a crow in a flock its a Rook. If you see a Rook on its own its a Crow. Paliament of Rook, Murder of Crows. And as you say an Unkindness of Ravens.
Now I love the seasonal atmosphere here. The gothic Americana. The horror and the personal human story.

Posted 2 Weeks Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Vol

2 Weeks Ago

Thanks, Ken!
Back in the late fifties m y grandmother raised a crow that had fallen out of i.. read more



Reviews

I LOVE this! The story, the images, the masterful use of words. And I am so glad to learn the proper term for a flock of Ravens, and that the term is "unkindness." Thank you for sharing - you poetry is so enjoyably satisfying to read :)

Posted 1 Week Ago


The local old Raven around here I have christened Quoth. We have usually Hooded Crows rather than any other type or Corvidae. And I love the use of collective nouns for these birds of Omen. If you see a crow in a flock its a Rook. If you see a Rook on its own its a Crow. Paliament of Rook, Murder of Crows. And as you say an Unkindness of Ravens.
Now I love the seasonal atmosphere here. The gothic Americana. The horror and the personal human story.

Posted 2 Weeks Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Vol

2 Weeks Ago

Thanks, Ken!
Back in the late fifties m y grandmother raised a crow that had fallen out of i.. read more

Share This
Email
Facebook
Twitter
Request Read Request
Add to Library My Library
Subscribe Subscribe


Stats

55 Views
2 Reviews
Added on September 14, 2024
Last Updated on September 15, 2024

Author

Vol
Vol

Gouge Eye, TX



About
My name is Vol Lindsey. I live in Gouge Eye, Texas, a tiny ghost town on Rt. 66. I am a retired creative writing, English literature teacher. I have been writing poetry and reading publicly since 196.. more..

Writing