photo by Charley
red shoulders
cold shoulder
not blind
to one behind
the window blinds
offhand glance
only one chance
photo shot
lizard got
human scare
off on a wing….
We’re Looking Out/Looking In at dVerse today. Lillian is hosting Tuesday’s Poetics and asking everyone to consider the windows in their apartment/home. We can either look in or look out; look at the view or the window itself. And then write a poem that somehow deals with that window, metaphorically or in reality (poetic license allowed, of course!). Each writer is to do two things: 1) post the photo of their window or view from their window; and 2) write a poem motivated by that photo, using the word “window” in either the title or text of the poem [Almost COMPLETELY plagiarized from Lillian’s post! 🙂 ].
Life in Portofino 
I like the way the blinds divide up the window – a bit like a horizontal puzzle. The layout of your poem has a similar effect. You’ve conveyed the atmosphere so well with the lines:
‘not blind
to one behind
the window blinds
offhand glance’.
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Kind of a Sinatra glance… only in a hawk style.
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🙂
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The form and rhyme scheme add perfectly to the tone of this charming poem! It tells a clear story with a heavy dose of whimsy & LOVE that picture! In keeping with your title, did he grab your camera and fly?
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Nope, just a bag of lizard tenders. Thank you, Jill!
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It looks like you got both looking out and seeing someone looking in a window with blinds half closed.
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Peeking Tom(my) Hawk. I thought it worked well.
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Is that a paparazzi pigeon I spy? Did you know, that in 1907 a German apothecary Julius Neubronner invented the diea of harnessing a small camera to a pigeon? Look it up…quite fascinating with some amazing photos too! So that’s what you reminded me of here 🙂
And then, of course, we wonder, who is behind all those window blinds???
Love your window post!
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Thank you! I’ve thought I should keep them closed. But then I’d miss all the air traffic.
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I stared at that photo, read the poem and couldn’t get the red shoulders at all. What I saw was a flamingo on a balcony. I think Jilly’s cranes and Kim’s pheasants are responsible 🙂
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Haha! He’s a red-shouldered hawk. Not to be confused with his red-tailed cousin who is bigger. He — or many of his ilk more likely — hang out around the house. Noisy buggers!
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They’re called ‘Neighbours’ here—noisy as hell.
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I really felt like paparazzi looking through that photo! Nicely done.
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Thank you! But are you certain the bird isn’t really the paparazzi? Maybe he’s got a camera as well.
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Great photo, great title. We have the red-tailed hawks. I like watching them circle, looking for prey, though I’m not happy seeing the poor little critters he caught–except once–a snake.
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You can’t have nature and only nice. Nature, like mankind, tends towards yuckiness. I’m glad you enjoyed my little red-shouldered fella!
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Great piece–lavished with levity, creative–first I’ve found to use the blinds both in photo & words; striking imagination . Red-tails remind me of Amelia Earhart’s plane.
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Thank you!
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That is a great shot. And I like the fast, punchy, stutter tempo of the poem, the way the blind breaks thinks up!
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Thank you! I’m glad you like it. Haven’t seen you post in a while — cat got your muse? 🙂
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So many amazing stories, hidden behind the blinds of those generic-looking apartments! Very cool poem.
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Thank you!
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p.s. I see Portofino is in Italy….my town, Tofino, B.C., on the west coast of Vancouver Island, was named after an Italian explorer.
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Portofino is a reach-for-the-stars goal. I’m actually in Orlando. 🙂 I think the town was named after a singer… not certain.
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The poem is so much fun but the picture of the hawk…astounding! I’m always seeing the red tails and peregrines around scooping down to grab squirrels, bunnies, unruly children…I love how the blinds broke up the picture!
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This is the red-tails tinier cousin, the red-shouldered. They would have to be REALLY TINY children for him to pick them up. Lizards and bugs. Glad you enjoyed.
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Yeah. He looked smaller. Several years ago I was tooling down a back road and saw up ahead, a bunny crossing the road. I began to slow down when whoop! Down came a red tail and scooped it up carry it away. Most startling.
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Now imagine a golden eagle taking down a deer! (For real!)
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Love your little red shouldered paparazzi: not blind / to one behind / the window blinds 🙂
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Thank you!
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Great composition on the photo. Love the rhythm of this piece.
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Thank you! Just a quick shot to catch him before he flew away.
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I like this, and the sense of urgency you convey with that tight rhythm. Great photo, too.
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I like how you present the scene…the hawks’s offhand glance and how he managed to remove himself from danger and get the food as well. I also like the lines created by the angle of your shot… at first I couldn’t believe I was seeing a big bird so close.
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He is a regular to our backyard… or perhaps one of several that take turns hunting lizards in our back yard. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
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I enjoyed the levity here, both in the poem and the responses. Yet another great take on windows and paparazzi!
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Thank you!
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There’s movement and liveliness here….nice!
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Thank you!
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