The Poetic Crow

Crows get a bad rap, don't they? When I saw this one at the beach a few weeks back, it struck me as odd because I'm used to seeing white seagulls and other light-colored birds by the sea. Seeing a black bird against the serene, pastel backdrop of the ocean landscape made the crow stick out like a sore thumb - it was a bit jarring. Crows are always symbols of something dark and/or sinister in my poetry...they tend to represent negative emotions, fears, etc.

Editing this photo made me think of a poem I wrote awhile back about insomnia, which can definitely be a dark place - both literally and figuratively! I think everyone can relate, at some point, to a restless night of tossing and turning...of your brain being stuck in overdrive while the minutes tortuously tick by. It seems during those times that our worries suddenly morph into mountains. It's always such a relief when morning comes...our troubles shrink down and suddenly seem manageable again in daylight.

I thought I'd share my poem today with Poetry Pantry. If you enjoy writing poetry, or would like to start, this is a great place to share and I highly recommend it!

INSOMNIA

A crow stands watch beside my pillow
Talons sharp beside my face
He eyes my thoughts as if
They're spun in sugar
Glittering softly inside my head
And my heart, it fills with dread

He struts across my restless mind
Oily feathers on fanned display
He caws and croaks, and robs me blind
Of peace buried far, where the meanings are
Pecking at cracks in my fragile guard
And he croons his wicked song

Comfort in the dawn's soft light
I twist and cup the morning sun
Evil-eyed raven flies away
My reveries dangling from his beak
He hides, with glee, in shadowed trees
And scavenges his next prey.

© Sherri Brannon

There is a close link between insomnia and despair. The loss of hope comes with the loss of sleep. The difference between paradise and hell: you can always sleep in paradise, never in hell. ~E.M. Cioran