Crown Plumage

Dear MS,
Beautiful. Maybe the owl is your spirit animal symbolising inner wisdom, change, transformation, intuitive development, good luck, and self-actualization.  Really enjoyed this poem:)  Bless
Mel

Thanks Mel, I'm really glad you liked the poem!

I don't do a lot of dream poems but sometimes the subject weighs as heavily on my mind as, well, an owl :)

I can say this much...I'm pretty sure it wasn't Athene Noctua, the little owl who serves her majesty Athena so very well. No, it was definitely a Great Horned Owl, and that makes sense since I am well outside the range of Athene Noctua, but well within the range of Bubo Virginianus, whose species I once was privileged to personally encounter a representative of back in my high school days.

It happened on the south bank of a short tributary creek that drained into nearby Burnt Bridge Creek, as I was out on a brief stroll with the family Labrador retriever, a beige furred and pink snouted rascal by the name of Victor, which we named in honor of the RCA mascot, who was always depicted staring down the horn of an old record player, presumably a Victrola.

Those were the days when it wasn't mandatory for dogs to be leashed on strolls and therefore Victor had gotten somewhat ahead of me, as dogs will do, when suddenly Victor froze in his tracks, and drilled a stare toward the bottom of one of the larger Douglas firs thereabout.

And there it was. A genuine Great horned owl just sitting on the ground by the tree.

This, for reasons known only to dogs, gave Victor permission to charge the owl, who was clearly out of its elements of both midnight, and altitude. However, at the last moment before contact, the mighty bird gave the fullest extension to its impressive wingspan which was enough to incentivize Victor into leaving skid marks on the soft forest floor with his front paws as he came to an abrupt stop.  

I restrained our now perplexed and anxious dog and gave the raptor some space.

It would not fly away, so clearly something was amiss.

To conclude, we went for assistance, came back, and with a neighbor's help it was packed off to a wildlife recovery place, or so I was told.

After forty years, or more, I wonder if I wasn't visited by the ghost of that magnificent bird.  

Love this and Owls.  They are such beautiful mesmerizing creatures, as was your poetry! Lately, Owls and ravens have been appearing for me, not sure what that means exactly. But, it leaves me intrigued which is always a good thing.  :))

J 🦋

Intrigued indeed!

I was just checking out the Wikipedia entry for THE OWL OF ATHENA where it mentions a related story about Corone (crow) mentioned in Ovid's Metamorphoses.

Great minds think alike sometimes, eh?

Oh! That is something! I'll have to look at that too!

Yes, we do! :))

It's only fair for me to have peek at yours, in a reciprocating fashion.

I've managed to get 1 owl in one poem identified as - Miss Owl - and an undetermined number of owls in another one who " whoo whoo" out the piece on the last line.

Great critters to bring in like Bubo in clash of the Titans but mine were merely helpmeets
whereas yours, plus protagonist, is the entire piece.

" When it might command an entire sky " is a great, great, line. imo.

But I couldn't go any further ( honest critique asked for) because your intellect is greater than mine and whoo, whoo, could know what deep down prompt set it all off.

If greater at all, I assure you it is only by way of experience. You being younger, will surely surpass me, if you haven't already!

One way or another, you have heaps of talent, and I very much welcome any poetically oriented analysis, psycho or otherwise ;)

Everybody needs an editor!

Perhaps I've been too skeptical. Maybe there's something more to this spirit animal thing after all. Whoo...really knows?

I for sure love that kooky mechanical owl from Clash of the Titans though.