Shifting Shadows. Poems of Darkness
Viewing comments for Chapter 6 "The Poor Crow"A collection of dark poetry
26 total reviews
Comment from Delahay
I suppose it does not help the crow's reputation that a group of crows is called a murder. I guess they have been distrusted for centuries. I guess the fact that they will feed on bodies after a battle does not endear them to many.
reply by the author on 07-Nov-2015
I suppose it does not help the crow's reputation that a group of crows is called a murder. I guess they have been distrusted for centuries. I guess the fact that they will feed on bodies after a battle does not endear them to many.
Comment Written 07-Nov-2015
reply by the author on 07-Nov-2015
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Thank you, Delahay for the interesting review and the excellent rating. I suspect it was their feeding on bodies after battle that resulted in their becoming symbols of death in the first place and that probably led to the group being called a murder. My personal favorite group name for birds is an exaltation of larks. Of course, that doesn't make for a great Poe-like poem. I'm glad you enjoyed the poem, at least, I think you did. I appreciate your comments very much.
Comment from Dean Kuch
Well, I gotta admit, Robert. You do darkness proud.
This quite obviously had a Poe-esque quality about it, and I detected allusions and a wonderful poetic nod to Poe's classic poetic masterpiece, "The Raven".
Those haunting fields of Uhr... Uhr, from the Middle Low German ure, stems from the Middle Dutch Latin of hora, or "hour". It was later borrowed and adapted into Early Modern German, where the word soon developed the sense "timing device", not present in other languages.
Some myths claim that when a raven appears on your window sill, that it's a sure sign that you are going to die before sunrise.
Thankfully I've never had the opportunity to test that theory out.
Excellent work, Robert! A fabulous edition to Shifting Shadows Thanks so much for adding it...
With gratitude and respect
~Dean :}
reply by the author on 07-Nov-2015
Well, I gotta admit, Robert. You do darkness proud.
This quite obviously had a Poe-esque quality about it, and I detected allusions and a wonderful poetic nod to Poe's classic poetic masterpiece, "The Raven".
Those haunting fields of Uhr... Uhr, from the Middle Low German ure, stems from the Middle Dutch Latin of hora, or "hour". It was later borrowed and adapted into Early Modern German, where the word soon developed the sense "timing device", not present in other languages.
Some myths claim that when a raven appears on your window sill, that it's a sure sign that you are going to die before sunrise.
Thankfully I've never had the opportunity to test that theory out.
Excellent work, Robert! A fabulous edition to Shifting Shadows Thanks so much for adding it...
With gratitude and respect
~Dean :}
Comment Written 07-Nov-2015
reply by the author on 07-Nov-2015
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Hello, my friend, I'm glad you liked The Poor Crow. It was fun to write and once I turned off the light, it practically wrote itself. Almost as if Edgar himself pressed several keys. I suppose that should be my next poem. Several reviewers suggested I continue to write dark, but I prefer the chiaroscuro light. I made up Uhr as a moorish land of darkness using the German, Dutch derivations referring to time, specifically hour. Two years of German finally paid off. The poem wouldn't even exist if it hadn't been for you suggesting it in one of your reviews, so I thank you. In traditional haiku, the crow is a symbol of death, and when used in a poem, almost always means death is nearby. I do not want to test out the theory, either. Thank you very much for the kind words, I appreciate your support and encouragement.
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There's nothing the least bit wrong with preferring to remain in the "light", Robert. On the same token, there's also nothing wrong with exploring the darkness once in a while, either. Light could not exist without the dark. For every good, there is an equal measure of evil. And you can't see the beauty of a sky filled with millions of twinkling stars in the light. The darker the sky, the more brilliant the view.
Well done, Robert.
~Dean
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I know there are theories - for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction; but I've never quite accepted that these apply to light and dark. There is some dark that I consider light (perhaps in disguise), dark that entertains and therefore, brings joy. I've never considered Poe dark - simply genius. But contrast is necessary. What would Stars Wars be without Darth Vader, Flash Gordon without Ming the Merciless (for me, the greatest villain of all time). Without villains, there would no heroes. Without the great, vast dark, the stars would still be there; we simply wouldn't see them. But if you're very quiet, you can hear them ... and the sound is beautiful.
Comment from AnnaLinda
rspoet,
Just this once? You sure about that? You seem pretty darn good at
this. I read the first part out loud to my husband...really a great
read out loud. Your part I is my favorite although Part 11 is also
well written...it's maybe over the edge for SweetLinda:)
You have a great presentation and I could comment more on
this, but might take up too much of all of our time...and then
we would be all "woe-befallen" The raven is really eerie and you
surely have captured that here in magnificent form.
Linda
reply by the author on 07-Nov-2015
rspoet,
Just this once? You sure about that? You seem pretty darn good at
this. I read the first part out loud to my husband...really a great
read out loud. Your part I is my favorite although Part 11 is also
well written...it's maybe over the edge for SweetLinda:)
You have a great presentation and I could comment more on
this, but might take up too much of all of our time...and then
we would be all "woe-befallen" The raven is really eerie and you
surely have captured that here in magnificent form.
Linda
Comment Written 07-Nov-2015
reply by the author on 07-Nov-2015
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Thank you, Linda, very much for the marvelous review and the excellent rating. I'm glad you enjoyed the Poe-Kuch poem of the crow. The first part is more me, the second Dean, for his book. I had, after all, to make it dark enough for the crow to turn into the symbol of death. I hope your husband enjoyed part 1. I appreciate your positive and encouraging comments very much.
Comment from Gloria ....
Love the opening artwork of the crow, because it makes me believe it is this crow who is speaking, now I shall see if that is correct.
Ooops, not, but all's good.
Love the scarecrow coming in and the aspersions that act has cast upon the poor crow.
Soon the raven did withdraw. Try to remove the past tense auxiliary verb of to do (did) The raven soon withdrew is stronger.
Oh boy, in part Uhr sounds positively pitch black and fetid.
I really enjoy your dark poem, rs. It makes a wonderful addition to Dean's book.
The layout is perfect too. :)
Gloria
reply by the author on 07-Nov-2015
Love the opening artwork of the crow, because it makes me believe it is this crow who is speaking, now I shall see if that is correct.
Ooops, not, but all's good.
Love the scarecrow coming in and the aspersions that act has cast upon the poor crow.
Soon the raven did withdraw. Try to remove the past tense auxiliary verb of to do (did) The raven soon withdrew is stronger.
Oh boy, in part Uhr sounds positively pitch black and fetid.
I really enjoy your dark poem, rs. It makes a wonderful addition to Dean's book.
The layout is perfect too. :)
Gloria
Comment Written 06-Nov-2015
reply by the author on 07-Nov-2015
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Thank you, my friend, for the excellent review and rating. I'm glad you enjoyed the crow and his tale. Dark, once for Dean's book, but I'm like the dot of yang within the yin, I prefer the light. So, back to the light side. Uhr was simply channeling distant memories of Poe. The poem was governed by the sound within my head, but I will consider the "did" suggestion. As always, I appreciate your insightful and encouraging comments very much. Thank you.
Comment from ravenblack
Love your crow poem, and if I had a six, it would be yours. Great typography too lol. Tearing the straw man to bits- a great touch, the job of the crow. But what really did it for me is you wonderful, stylistic homage to Poe in the entire second part. Crows are my favorite bird- very intelligent. And when in captivity- not that I ever would cage one- they can be taught a vocabulary that rivals the African Grey parrot. Is Uhr a place you made up?
reply by the author on 06-Nov-2015
Love your crow poem, and if I had a six, it would be yours. Great typography too lol. Tearing the straw man to bits- a great touch, the job of the crow. But what really did it for me is you wonderful, stylistic homage to Poe in the entire second part. Crows are my favorite bird- very intelligent. And when in captivity- not that I ever would cage one- they can be taught a vocabulary that rivals the African Grey parrot. Is Uhr a place you made up?
Comment Written 06-Nov-2015
reply by the author on 06-Nov-2015
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Thank you, ravenblack, a raven must stick by a crow. I appreciate your splendid review and the excellent rating. Thanks for mentioning the six stars, but an insightful review, like yours, means more to me than the stars. I'm glad you enjoyed the poem and the typography! Uhr is a place I made up, from the German and dutch words for time (specifically hour). But Uhr is much more Poe-like than time or hour. Poe is one of my favorites from an early age, and once I began, the poem simply took over and flowed. Ravens and crows are, indeed, among the most intelligent birds. They actually use implements like sticks to obtain food. Thanks for the great review!
Comment from Pantygynt
Part 2w here bears a distinct relationship two the "Three Ravens" English folk ballad and its Scottish equivalent, the "Twa Corbies". There are also faint echoes of Poe's raven in your last line, even if it is stating the opposite.
This is a cleverly put together piece using the old folk motifs to the full.
reply by the author on 06-Nov-2015
Part 2w here bears a distinct relationship two the "Three Ravens" English folk ballad and its Scottish equivalent, the "Twa Corbies". There are also faint echoes of Poe's raven in your last line, even if it is stating the opposite.
This is a cleverly put together piece using the old folk motifs to the full.
Comment Written 06-Nov-2015
reply by the author on 06-Nov-2015
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Thank you, Pantygynt, for the excellent review and rating. I'm glad you enjoyed the poem. I studied folklore long ago, but I don't recall the "Three Ravens" folk ballad. I will certainly look it up. I appreciate your positive comments very much.
Comment from Mystic Angel 7777
This is TOO weird since I was watching a murder (flock of crows for those who do not know) fly by this morning and thought how maligned they are - is it the color? or the myth? I think you did a wonderful job with this and I no longer need to worry over them since you have defended them admirably. Quoth the RAVEN .... nevermore. Hugs and blessings for such fine work.
reply by the author on 06-Nov-2015
This is TOO weird since I was watching a murder (flock of crows for those who do not know) fly by this morning and thought how maligned they are - is it the color? or the myth? I think you did a wonderful job with this and I no longer need to worry over them since you have defended them admirably. Quoth the RAVEN .... nevermore. Hugs and blessings for such fine work.
Comment Written 06-Nov-2015
reply by the author on 06-Nov-2015
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Thank you, Monica, for the mystic review and the excellent rating. The murder of crows probably originates in the symbol of death as a crow. In the haiku of the old masters, a crow is a symbol of death.. My favorite group word for sound is a gaggle of geese. But an exaltation of larks is my all time favorite. I defend all of God's creatures, though I'm not fond of vultures. I always look forward to your kind and encouraging comments. Thank you and be well!
Comment from Ogden
There is no doubt that this poem deserves six stars, but I wasn't given that option; apparently, I already used my quota.
I'm not sufficiently erudite to understand much of the poem, but I enjoyed the language and the imagery - and it gave me chills!
reply by the author on 06-Nov-2015
There is no doubt that this poem deserves six stars, but I wasn't given that option; apparently, I already used my quota.
I'm not sufficiently erudite to understand much of the poem, but I enjoyed the language and the imagery - and it gave me chills!
Comment Written 06-Nov-2015
reply by the author on 06-Nov-2015
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Thank you, Ogden, for the excellent review and the excellent rating. I'm glad you enjoyed the Poe-Kuch poem and the presentation with the black and light and the pictures. I've never written dark before, but this one was for Dean. Thanks for mentioning the six, I appreciate you encouraging comments very much.
Comment from Irish Goat
Great use of some repetitious variations and internal rhyme. The dark imagery was effective and vivid. Liked the dialogue in part one, and really liked they description of Uhr in part two. Great use of a free form to paint the macabre
reply by the author on 06-Nov-2015
Great use of some repetitious variations and internal rhyme. The dark imagery was effective and vivid. Liked the dialogue in part one, and really liked they description of Uhr in part two. Great use of a free form to paint the macabre
Comment Written 06-Nov-2015
reply by the author on 06-Nov-2015
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Thank you, Irish, for the supportive review and the excellent rating. I'm glad you enjoyed the Poe-Kuch poem and the macabre presentation. I appreciate your positive and encouraging words very much.
Comment from Spitfire
You've captured Poe's voice well in this macabre poem.
always under suspicion
since it first tore
that silly straw man
into a million pieces
A touch of humor makes the darkness deeper.
In Part two, a real murder has been committed. Innocent bird dines on the soul and is turned into evil too.
Quite a horror story.
Did you happen to notice the stuffed raven as part of the décor in Hitchcock's "Psycho"?
reply by the author on 06-Nov-2015
You've captured Poe's voice well in this macabre poem.
always under suspicion
since it first tore
that silly straw man
into a million pieces
A touch of humor makes the darkness deeper.
In Part two, a real murder has been committed. Innocent bird dines on the soul and is turned into evil too.
Quite a horror story.
Did you happen to notice the stuffed raven as part of the décor in Hitchcock's "Psycho"?
Comment Written 05-Nov-2015
reply by the author on 06-Nov-2015
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Thank you, Spitfire, for the positive review and the excellent rating. I'm glad you enjoyed the Poe-Kuch poem and the macabre presentation with a touch of humor. I did notice the raven, but had forgotten it. Hitchcock often had little homages to others including himself. I appreciate your support very much.