Owl Woman has soft gray chicks
nestled at her breast.
In her brain lives the spacious sky,
dappled silver, shining.
Through her feathers,
Sister Wind woos her towards flight,
beckoning from
the Four Directions,
for when she soars, she is free, joyous,
safe from harm.
She will teach these chicks
to fly.
Down her throat runs clear river water,
life-giving, replenishing.
The forest lives in her eyes,
green and golden,
and full of talking trees.
Her journeys
are the flight-paths of the ancestors,
imprinted within her being.
The spirits fly with her
and whisper to her
the way that she must go.
Owl Woman is earth-bound,
for a time,
but ever dreaming of
the sky.
A poem from 2014, my friends, for the Poetry Pantry at Poets United, where you will always find great reading on a Sunday morning.
What a wonderful poem share, Sherry. Owl Woman has the best kind of life...teaching the young chicks to fly & being led by the spirits within!
ReplyDeleteA very sweet poem, Sherry--I like thinking about owl women especially because they are not afraid of mice! They are such great providers for the young. Thanks! k.
ReplyDelete"The forest lives in her eyes,
ReplyDeletegreen and golden,
and full of talking trees." this is her spirit..so she is grounded and sky bound...such a lovely poem Sherry, as always...
The image of the owl-woman is wonderful, she has so much to share from the woods for those young chicks.
ReplyDeleteThe owl woman is a great teacher and provider to her chicks. So marvelous, Sherry. At times, I feel the wind carried me too to be a part of the adventure.
ReplyDeleteThose chicks will thrive because she'll pass on her wisdom to them. She feed them with food as well as wisdom. So much can be learned from this poem.
ReplyDeleteSuch purity in being in harmony with nature.. when did humans learn to ignore it and start destroying all that was pure inside and outside..
ReplyDeleteEach word is so carefully and tenderly placed..like a chick in a well built nest - i believe owl woman is all of these things - she shines, dreams, flies and glows :)
ReplyDeleteI love the ending because it gives me both a movement towards a destination but also a motion back to the place owl woman came from. It's almost as if the owl is doing what many humans do: set out to explore but always come home. Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteGreetings from London.
owl woman is also red in tooth and claw and this combo of soft stealth, vision and flight is what makes her so captivating - I sense you took wing with her here Sherry
ReplyDeleteThe spirits fly with her
ReplyDeleteand whisper to her
the way that she must go.
Such a beautiful image here Sherry.. in absolute awe of this poem :D
Lots of love,
Sanaa
"Owl Woman is earth-bound,
ReplyDeletefor a time,
but ever dreaming of
the sky."
jus luv the inspiration that Owl Woman brings to us of life and transience
Have a great Sunday Sherry
much love...
The Owl such a strong presence and so well realised here Sherry.
ReplyDeleteSuch a sweet description of the owl, the mysterious bird, rarely seen, quiet on the wing.
ReplyDeleteHow beautiful! I love owls (though yours are a bit different from ours).
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful creature is Owl Woman...a wonderful spirit for all women. I love...
ReplyDelete'In her brain lives the spacious sky,
dappled silver, shining.'
To be able to fly in that sky...what a wonder.
So she is the crossroads of here and there, now and forever. Oh, golly, this is good.
ReplyDeletei liked how you wrote this :
ReplyDelete"Her journeys
are the flight-paths of the ancestors".
timeless!
Within you soul, Sherry, the spriritual and physical worlds intersect, bringing us, a brief glimpse, of what is possible, if our hearts are open and true.
ReplyDeleteSo many shades of meaning in this one, Sherry. That is, I feel like this poem is one of those that's more complex that you might at first realize, and you have to think harder and deeper about the metaphors and symbols at work. Really nice.
ReplyDeleteVery good images and meaning come across in your words.
ReplyDeleteI love that the entire world is within her flesh, bone and mind. And the idea that she'll teach her offspring how to be the same way. Such powerful imagery, too!
ReplyDeleteIn her brain lives the spacious sky...
ReplyDeleteThat is just lovely!
I love that she really sees life around her, feels it pass through her--beautiful writing Sherry!
ReplyDeleteOwl woman is truly special. A little like most women, a lot like you. The sky in your eyes, or perhaps for you it's the ocean. For me the mountains. What a beautiful write Sherry.
ReplyDeleteUnbelievably gorgeous. These are my favorites:
ReplyDelete"In her brain lives the spacious sky"
"The forest lives in her eyes"
the closing stanza
Amazing work, Sherry.
A consummate piece of writing that channels a wonderful "deep-in-the-forest" legend-like vibe. The personification of the Owl Woman creates a glorious mingling of the primordial and the ancient. I was, particularly, touched by the synergistic harmony, within nature, imparted by: Sister Wind's ruffling of her owl feathers wooing her towards flight. Awesome, Sherry.
ReplyDeleteearth-bound,for a time,
ReplyDeletebut ever dreaming of the sky
One has responsibilities to look after before reaching out towards unfulfilled
dreams. Very true Sherry!
Hank
Beautiful Sherry, as someone has already said, you cross the spiritual with the physical with ease. You see with owl eyes,
ReplyDeleteElizabeth
Lovely interplay between life and nature.
ReplyDeleteOwl woman is like us I guess!
ReplyDeleteThis gave me such a feeling of joy Sherry! I love the way you described Owl Woman, almost like you've been there! Now I feel like I have.
ReplyDelete