Harbinger
by Sidney Greenleaf
This crow
who comes to watch me
is a poetic truth
and a natural one
Sid Greenleaf, HILR member since 2005, has been writing poetry for two years. He was a faculty member at Harvard School of Design for 14 years
and a visiting professor at several other universities. He is active in historical
preservation.
he is silent, black, still
he is always there
watching my door
from dawn to dusk
he is always there
waiting for me to leave
waiting for my return
he is always there
when I have been in hospital
I have seen him in my window
he is always there
I have killed him twice
at the next dawn
he was there
I have given the greeting call
he is silent, black, still
he is always there
I know why he is there.
Somewhere,
the collective souls of dead and unborn crows
are awaiting the hour of my death