i can’t decide
if he is happy to see me
with his arms open wide
or if he has fully embraced his martyrdom
crucified in this field
pointing….
——
Want to read more? You can. My poem crow counsels scarecrow is available to read at the Tupelo 30/30 project page.
The prompt I received for this was from Ken at RIVVLOGR and is a reference (at least, it was in my head) to Robert Okaji’s series of poems about Scarecrow.
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It sounds like Scarecrow had a run-in with the black crow of the family.
I think those outstretched arms are actually attempting to embrace everything that surrounds him, as he struggles to find his place in the world.
As for his misplaced eye, he now has a view of his adopted brethren as they soar overhead. If Crow doesn’t decide to fly off with it. 😉 Let’s hope his wink is only temporary.
I’m sure this takes place in an alternate reality. Our scarecrow friend is safe among his rows of corn.
Great poem, Charles!
Thanks very much. I hope you don’t mind the liberties I took with your scarecrow. 😊
Scarecrow belongs to no one!
Do Crow and Scarecrow arise as one? Thesis and Antithesis? Embracing and Rejecting?
That’s an interesting question. Scarecrow is all about self-discovery, but crow is definitely attempting to circumvent the necessary steps in that process, offering the illusion of self for a fee. I don’t know if it fits into the Hegelian paradigm. My take is probably more interested in the dynamics between an innocent and a cynic.
Agreed. It was just striking from the meta view of you as Crow/narrator.
Scarecrow from a different perspective…I suspect he has many parallel lives. (K)
Scarecrow is multitudes…
13 ways of looking at Scarecrow, perhaps?
At least!
Oh my – fascinating to find a raven reference near the closing! Are crows prone to feeling less than ravens? I ask because I have very little crow experience – whereas raven frequently grabs my attention often when I travel a bit west of central Texas. Cousins, no?
They are cousins, but as Ken pointed out, they get better press.