Classic and Contemporary Poetry
CHICKEN HAWK, by THOMAS CASEY First Line: Observe the high and circling wing Last Line: And stop the hawk from growing bolder. Subject(s): Birds; Hawks | ||||||||
Observe the high and circling wing Of this, the bird that cannot sing. His claws are not for clutching limbs, Nor are they likely synonyms For beauty, feathering, or peace. They serve the simple, sharp release Of anger from an exiled heart That pulses both the wings apart And lifts the hawk above the haze Of passing clouds. He spends some days In turning distant spirals down The vault of sky above the town, And laughing with his pearl-bright eyes; But mostly does he love to rise And swoop upon the chicken yard. Each challenge of his disregard, Each frisky pivot, plunge, and grasp, Inflames the farmer, and he'll clasp One day his shotgun to his shoulder And stop the hawk from growing bolder. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...A SPARROW-HAWK IN THE SUBURBS by EAVAN BOLAND THE HAWK by WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS THE DOUBLE-BED DREAM GALLOWS by RICHARD BRAUTIGAN THE WINDHOVER: TO CHRIST OUR LORD by GERARD MANLEY HOPKINS HURT HAWKS by ROBINSON JEFFERS THE MAN-OF-WAR HAWK by HERMAN MELVILLE EVENING HAWK by ROBERT PENN WARREN |
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