Pause For Poetry:
Michael Hawkes /87

Thermals

February 11, 2025

A poem by Michael Hawkes

Screech eagle screech,
Out from your aerie,
out of human reach
There atop the tallest tree.

Caw ragged crow
From the carrion below;

And croak, coal-black raven,
You with the crooked beak;
Speak, and pray do tell us
Everything you know.

These sky-born avatars
With aerial perspectives
And an atavistic streak
Know of things we used to know
And see the things we seek.

Although so dark, they carry light,
So dense the black and sleek,
So sharp the sparkling eye, so bright,
So curious and inquisitive
Among all birds unique.

24/06/22 – Hawkes

Feature image: Frans van Heerden – Pexels

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Michael Hawkes - WestmountMag.ca

Michael Hawkes was a prolific poet despite being unschooled. He was remarkably productive, writing an average of five poems every week. As a retired West Coast fisherman, Hawkes found a new passion in poetry later in life. His experience as a survivor of numerous conflicts likely influenced his perspective and provided rich material for his verses.