Cooper's Hawk: "Alarm Call"
What can be done, but to listen and live in the eternal now?
A cluster of trees watching over the living and the dead.
Alarm calls ring out - echoing a warning to those listening.
What can be done, but to listen and live in the eternal now?
I took these photos on my afternoon hike on November 3, 2024. I was passing some trees and heard alarm calls from squirrels and birds. I looked around to see what was causing the squirrels and birds to raise the alarm.
I saw this Cooper’s Hawk perched on a branch. The hawk briefly glanced over at me. The hawk had caught something.
I think this is the Cooper’s Hawk that I have seen many times in 2024. I watched the hawk for a few minutes.
I thought about this Cooper’s Hawk and the prey that had died.
Sometimes on my hikes, I am confronted with both the living and the dead like this Cooper’s Hawk and their prey.
I wished the hawk well and the spirit of the departed a good journey to their next life.
English - Korean:
Cooper’s Hawk = 쿠퍼스 매 / kupeoseu mae
Hawk = 매 / mae
Spirit/Soul = 영혼 / yeonghon
Beautiful Sijo and I love the black and white photos accompanying it. Some societies believed that if one ate an animal one gained some added quality- strength courage, wisdom. All this, over and above the protein. What does the hawk gain eating the prey? What does the prey gain being eaten? What does the witness of this gain?
Love the poem and photos Neil, thank you. 2024 is definitely your year of Cooper’s Hawks! The black and white is a nice touch.