By wing they gather in summer full trees
flutters flash black in the shadowy copse
Cacophonous caws call out through the breeze
The congregation packs dark wooded slopes
They all shriek about human invasion
settle on branches, and reinforce hopes
for a world of unpracticed evasion.
A strengthened resolve grows in alder limbs
as dark oaths avow future occasion.
In the gloamings of summer, tall trees brim
with scheming crows singing murdering hymns.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is my first piece for POW, and my first Terza Rima Sonnet. Thank you Rallentanda for the challenging prompt. We considered summer twilight in a terza rima sonnet, with music from youtube.
My inspiration: In summer at dusk, birds gather. Ornithologists are uncertain why they flock together, but they do. Murder of Crows is my attempt to explain why they congregate at days' end.
During the summer, I listen to a great deal of bluegrass and folk music. Last year I stumbled across No Crows on iTunes. All four members are classically trained musicians. They met in a pub in Ireland. The piece I selected is one of very few offered on You Tube.
Note: A sonnet should have 14 lines. This piece has only 11. I may go back and rework it, but I may not. Otherwise it does follow the structure of the terza rima.
14 comments:
I think you found this easy even though it was your first sonnet.I like your music. Crows are fascinating..fat and sleek living off road kill.I have just come back from the bush and the amount of road kill was quite disturbing. People drive too fast here! Welcome Brenda with a very successful introduction to our little group.
Easy? No, but the writing engaged me...forms are like that for me. They're almost like word puzzles to fill in-
Thank you for the welcome. Your prompts are interesting, and I'm happy to join the group.
Crows certainly do sing murdering songs, Brenda, and you've caught their nature well in this terza rima. The music is great too!
There's an enormous cottonwood I can see from our dining room window. Masses of crows gather there in twilight. It's an awesome sight and I think your sonnet is awesome, too! Those "cacophonous caws call" mightily, don't they?
Thank you Derrick for taking a gander and a listen! Glad you like the piece, and No Crows, too.
and thank you, too, Marianne--Do you talk back to the crows? It's a fairly easy call to master. Ask my children I embarass them by joining in the chorus. LOL
Brenda I am so glad you have joined the group and throughly enjoyed this piece!
"cacophonous caws call out through the breeze"
Pamela
Welcome! You win the trophy for Best Use of Cacophonous in a Poem for 2010. Like the intersection of ornithology and this musical genre. 11, 14, when you write this well, nobody keeps count!
It's definitely what you say rather than how you write it that counts.
Great post.
Every night as it gets dark, the birds are all I can hear. Then it's the crickets all night.
I like the music you chose.
Pamela, Thank you for your welcoming words.
J.D., Nice to meet you. Thanks for the trophy. It looks good on my imaginary awards shelf.
Stan- Thanks
Changnoi- Those birds, they have a lot to say. I'm glad you like the music. They are on iTunes. One of my favorite songs of theirs is called "Finnish Waltz." The second part of the song (where the bass player starts making that motion with his hand) makes me smile big every single time I listen to it. Music can sure make people happy...sad too.
I'm a big fan of crows. Their numbers dwindled here because of West Nile, but they seem to be coming back now. The sonnet makes me want to conspire with them. Great song choice too.
This is a fascinating take on the prompt. I loved your use of consonance and aliteration.
The gloamings of summer is a lovely phrase.
ViV
We have many a crow eyeballin' us in my parts...now that I know they are scheming, I look at them with a little more respect. You go with that sonnet form, Brenda!
- Dina
...WILL look at them... ugh.
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