Oconee River, Athens
It has been a year now
since I saw a hawk
resting on a tree branch
overhanging the riverbank
while I walked at dusk
with an old friend who talked
about this bird and other hawks
and about kayaking the river
and about how brown water flows
from the Oconee to faucets in town,
pumped from a river’s basin
into our mouths, into my mouth,
where it can be as hard to shape words
to describe a hawk on a riverbank
as it is to spot a red-shouldered hawk
perched in a tree by a river in a city—
but sometimes words flow
like a river and you find
a hawk resting there.
It has been a year now
since I saw a hawk
resting on a tree branch
overhanging the riverbank
while I walked at dusk
with an old friend who talked
about this bird and other hawks
and about kayaking the river
and about how brown water flows
from the Oconee to faucets in town,
pumped from a river’s basin
into our mouths, into my mouth,
where it can be as hard to shape words
to describe a hawk on a riverbank
as it is to spot a red-shouldered hawk
perched in a tree by a river in a city—
but sometimes words flow
like a river and you find
a hawk resting there.
Felicia Mitchell will participate in the Poetry Hickory reading series in Hickory, NC on February 9th. Click on the Poetry Hickory link below for a schedule and directions.
Photo of Felicia Mitchell (on the laptop) by Bunny Medeiros
Photo of the desk and window by Felicia Mitchell
If you would like to participate in this series, send a photo of yourself composing a poem or writing or a picture of a location where you enjoy writing, along with one of your poems (the type/genre of poem doesn't matter). This series will allow us to see the various locations that inspire us or where we go to write.
1 comment:
felicia what a nice poem! and i love that picture :) looking forward to being part of your opening act on February 9th!
Post a Comment