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Crows
What if to taste and see, to notice things,
to stand each is up against emptiness
for a moment or an eternity—
images collected in consciousness
like a tree alone on the horizon—
is the main reason we’re on the planet.
The food’s here of the first crow to arrive,
numbers two and three at a safe distance,
then approaching the hand-created taste
of leftover coconut macaroons.
The instant sparks in the earth’s awareness.
“Crows” was originally published online by the Academy of American Poets and is used with permission by the poet.
This poem was originally read in the On Being episode “Poetry From the On Being Gathering.” Listen to Marilyn Nelson’s On Being interview, “Communal Pondering in a Noisy World.”
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