POSTCARD FROM WARWICK, Wizard Award Winner ~ THE HAWK Options

[Cybele]

*Graphic provided by
Celtic Castle Designs



                              THE HAWK


                          Dart true, she flew
                          to the whirling lure.

                          Beyond the fence, tense
                          with breath bated
                          I waited.

                          Arrow straight to the gate
                          she swooped

                          Click!

                          She was mine.


All rights reserved by Grace Galton as an unpublished work.

[Guest_Nina_*]

Hi Grace

I'm not sure which is more impressive - the photo or the poem.  You have used internal rhyme very well and I love the punch line.

I know Warwick castle very well as my parents don't live far from it and have seen the wonderful  displays they put on, though I didn't get a photo of a hawk

Nina

[Guest_Cathy_*]

How long did you have to wait to click this impressive photo?  It's a beauty!  And so is the poem!  It seems you have a special feel for photography to get a pic like that.

Cathy~

[Guest_Don_*]

Refreshing as the action is rapid with unexpected ending.

What was your whirling lure?


Don

[Guest__*]

Dear Grace,

Funny, I completely missed the "click" the first time through, so "she is mine" seemed very odd.

It is alright tho, I got it evetually.

Very good.

I had half a mind to suggest it should all be in present tense, but the other half said no.

Love
Alan

[Cybele]

Good morning Nina,

  I'm not sure which is more impressive - the photo or the poem.  You have used internal rhyme very well and I love the punch line.

Thank you Nina. The reason for the brevity of this piece, was the swiftness with which the incident happened. This beautiful Harris Hawk dived out of the trees towards the lure, skimmed the ground and circled back to the gate immediately in front of me as you can see.

I know Warwick castle very well as my parents don't live far from it and have seen the wonderful  displays they put on, though I didn't get a photo of a hawk.

This wasn't at the Castle Nina, although it was probably a display performed by the same falconry. We saw them at their base just behind Shakespeare's mother's house.

[Cybele]

Hello Cathy,  

How long did you have to wait to click this impressive photo?  It's a beauty!  And so is the poem!  It seems you have a special feel for photography to get a pic like that.

Thank you for your comment Cathy.

We were watching the display behind a fence Nina. The hawk dived the first time and came to settle on the fence. She repeated that action, so I poitioned myself immediately in front of the spot where she had landed. She dived again and returned to the fence. I was so excited it is a wonder I didn't get camera shake!  :speechless: As you can see I could almost have reached out and touched her.

My passion is photography ~ especially photographing birds of prey. I have very many pictures of hawks but this was the first of one with her wings outspread. I was over the moon!

[Cybele]

Good morning Don,

Thank you very much for reading and commenting.

Refreshing as the action is rapid with unexpected ending.

What was your whirling lure?

You will see from my reply to Nina that this was one of those very brief moments in time, so I thought the poem should reflect this fact.

The falconer (for the purposes of display) uses a lure Don. A piece of rope let out to about 6 feet. At the end of the rope is a metal lure to which is attached bird feathers to simulate a flying bird when it is swung in circles above his head. (I could never understand how that would fool a bird with such excellent sight,) till I realised that, the bird was trained to actually catch the lure. If he did, he flew to the falconer's glove and was rewarded with a tiny piece of meat.

In displays, the bird will merely fly to the lure. The falconer will then jerk it away at the last moment to prevent the bird catching it.The bird will then circle back to its perch and try again. They seem to relish the exercise as much as we love the display. In this manner they could get the falcon, hawk, eagle, owl or kite to come to the lure four or five times before being rewarded.

These masters of flight dive to within inches of the ground,and to my eyes, are the most beautiful sight in the world.  

[Cybele]

Good Sir Knight  

Sorry Alan, I missed this earlier. (Trying to do too many things at once.    )



Funny, I completely missed the "click" the first time through, so "she is mine" seemed very odd.

It is alright tho, I got it evetually.

Well, I'm glad you got it Alan.  

Very good.

Thank you kindly.

I had half a mind to suggest it should all be in present tense, but the other half said no.

Thank you Maria.  I had considered that Alan, but since this is a postcard, I would be writing about something that has already happened wouldn't I?

Love


Alan

Thank you for your comments my friend. :block:

[JustDaniel]

Well, this duck just poked 'is beak in, an' all 'e c'd do is ghhawk!

I wish my wings could make me soar; they just make me sore.

You've got a couple o' beauts there, Grace!

bein' sure to keep my eyes sLightly up ahead, Daniel

[Guest__*]

... clever clogs ....

[Guest_jayjay_*]

I meant to come along earlier and join the list of admirers for this beautiful little postcard, Grace.  The photo is mightily impressive and the words tell the tale grace-fully and well.
I love the last line, 'She was mine'.
This photo will recall that special moment for you always and skim your memory back to that day in a wingbeat.


JJ

[Cybele]

Good morning Daniel,

Lovely to see you here  

Well, this duck just poked 'is beak in, an' all 'e c'd do is ghhawk!

I wish my wings could make me soar; they just make me sore.

You've got a couple o' beauts there, Grace!


Thank you my friend. By a couple of beauts did you mean the verse and the wings ~ or just the wings?

Oh, for the wings of a dove or a pelican, or crow or buzzard ~ any old wings would do.     I yearn to soar up there.  

[Cybele]

Good morning Good Sir Knight,  (where did that day go to?  :jester: )

... clever clogs ....

What, me gov? Or Daniel?  :detective:

[Guest__*]

Dear Grace,

Clever Clogs was to you, for suggesting the "other half" was Maria, when I meant the other half of my mind !

Don't think Daniel's was up when I started answering, otherwise I'd have been more expressive !

Anyway, you are quite right about the tense.

Love
Alan

[Cybele]

Sorry Alan,

Just re-read your crit and noticed you said the other half. I thought you were referring to the better half.

[Cybele]

Hi there Jimmy  

I meant to come along earlier and join the list of admirers for this beautiful little postcard, Grace.  The photo is mightily impressive and the words tell the tale grace-fully and well.

Such kind words sor Have you been at the Blarney stone be any chance?

I love the last line, 'She was mine'.

Yes, I couldn't believe my luck. She seemed to pose for me Jimmy.  

This photo will recall that special moment for you always and skim your memory back to that day in a wingbeat.

You are quite right ~ it's a day I'll never forget. On that day, Ralph had a packet of extra strong mints in his pocket and he was followed around all day by two little kune-kune (pronounced koony) pigs who were crazy about them. They would sit and beg just like a dog for one. In the end he passed the pack on to an unsuspecting little boy who was looking at him appealingly.

Thank you for reading Jimmy. Looking forward to our duet challenge.      

[Guest_Toumai_*]

Hi Grace,

Your capture of this moment is more precise than the hawk taking her prey - wonderful.

Fran

[Cybele]

Thank you Fran,  

Your capture of this moment is more precise than the hawk taking her prey - wonderful.

I always bear in mind that I am supposed to be sending a Postcard to friends so it has to be brief.

I don't know why I started these postcards.    I hate sending them when I am on holiday.

Ralph and I would sit down and stare at the blank reverse racking our brains for something interesting to say. We would suddenly look at each other, smile and almost as the same moment say, "How about a bottle of wine while we're thinking darling?"

Great minds think alike.  

[Guest_Toumai_*]

Hi Grace,

The classic postcard filler (of course):

"Weather here. Wish you were lovely."

Fran :yoda: