Circling myself now like an osprey I once observed fishing,
sitting by the Union River on a chill fall day,
eyes fastened upon icy grey currents, swirling
and eddying under the arched bones of trees;
who could guess what she saw and how, yet surely
as my beating heart, down she went, brakes on,
claws out, swooping up her catch, oversized
enough to attract competition, vying now
for the jewel, a full stomach, the satisfaction
for all I know of tearing into silverbacked flesh
to arrive at crimson glory, only to forfeit
in the end and begin afresh.
This precipitous edge circumcribes all
of life, only for us translates more
into meanderings of a mind preparing
to enlarge its capacity with every opened door
of perception, each holding the universal key;
One can only rattle the latch for another,
not push us through; this journey is solitary,
as simple as it is complex, requiring lack
rather than effort, let go, let flow.
Perhaps this is what the osprey knew best,
only shrieking in a brief moment of dismay,
then simply turning to the task,
again and again, eyes focused on the river,
always on the river.
photo credit: Mika Linho
Beautiful photo
Yes, isn’t it? My one complaint about this theme which changes color by picking up the hues in accompanying photos is that even when I caption the photo with the name of the photographer (if it isn’t me, which it often is), it does not appear in the published post. Thanks for the reminder, and photo credit now appears at the end of my poem 🙂
Such amazing wisdom in your words to such a spectacular photo.. Learning to go within the flow and Let go.. Trusting in the currents and what lies beneath the surface… Focusing only upon the moment.. She teachers us how to catch life and hold onto its prizes.. 🙂 Thank you dear Bela xxx
Sue, nature deserves so very much of the credit for any awarenesses I possess. It was always to Her that I turned in my turbulent young life, and she never disappoints. I never have to ask why, even when viewing difficult footage of creatures attacking other creatures. Compared to our own human animal species, what we consider wild at least kills with purpose. And though I may not understand Orcas tossing seals about, killing them slowly as it were, I attribute it to my own lack of a deeper perspective. In my experience, Nature always has a reason, which may not at first be obvious to me, but I can live with that. Humans devising new ways to torture, imprison or exclude other humans is and will remain far beyond my heart and mind’s capacity to comprehend. Blessings, dear one. And thanks for your comments. <3
I agree Bela.. Humans I have come to the conclusion is a breed unto itself.. ‘Alien’ in nature to Mother Nature.. And as to the Orcas are they much different than a domestic cat? whose instinct is still there yet they play with their food.. .. Nature has always and will always be my retreat.. She is much more Humane <3
I did some research on cats, for I didn’t know why they, particularly, toy with prey: “Cats kill their prey by delivering a neck bite that severs the spinal cord. To do this, they must temporarily release the prey to get at the nape of the neck, but when they do so, they risk the prey escaping or counterattacking. Small animals will defend themselves if they get the chance. Mice, rats, and other rodents can deliver a vicious bite, and birds can peck. A cat has a very short muzzle, and to get close enough to apply the neck bite, she risks injury to her eyes and face from the prey.
A cat will “play” with her prey to tire it out in order to reduce the risk of injury to herself, but she is not actually playing in the human sense. She is simply doing the job that her instincts tell her she must do in order not to starve, and protecting herself in the process. If the prey is lively, the cat could suffer a serious bite that might become infected and lead to death. Only when the prey is sufficiently tired and dazed is the cat able to make the kill.
Sometimes a cat will appear to lose interest when the prey becomes still but then leap upon it as soon as it moves. This gives the appearance that the cat is toying with the poor creature, but this is just the cat’s way of ensuring that the prey is sufficiently dazed to safely finish it off. If she attempts to finish things too quickly, she could risk failure or serious injury.” http://cats.suite101.com/article.cfm/wh … z0SQI4RgQ2
Wow.. thank you for that Bela.. I have had cats all my life and although I am petless right now My oldest Cat I had for 21 yrs she would bring me her prizes and leave them for me very often.. And yes she got bitten several times and had to have vets visits due to what the vet thought were rat bites.. She was a very good hunter-gatherer!.. Thank you for the Link also.. 🙂 and the time you took to research it 🙂 <3
Mind enlarged by every open door of perception. So true.
Yes! I think many even believe the mind to be the repository of memories and learned behaviors and education, even though we have a much larger capacity to expand our awareness. Mahalo for your comment.
😉
Magnificent Photo shot and amazing post to go with. I so admire anyone who has the gift of taking photos. I have tried but I get discouraged quickly. To have eyes that see what they do! Mine are so bad and now have beginnings of cataracts so worse. Birds of prey are nothing short of wondrous. Thank You!
Sorry for the tardiness of this response Renee, I have been away for a few days and then slammed when I returned home – too many demands, so little time! All good stuff, but still!
Although I do post many of my own photos, this one’s credit is due and listed to Mika Linho.
I agree on birds of prey, they are sadly missed by me here, though they won’t draw me backto the mainland US. We have one owl and one hawk species here in Hawaii, and I love watching them soar on their silent wings.
Thanks for taking time to read so many of my posts and to comment. Much appreciated! <3
No one rattles a latch quite like you Bela – another supernal cascade of words, for which many thanks. H <3
Thank you, dear one. Mahalo always for your kindness. Aloha! <3