‘Turkey Vulture’ from “Pitcher of Moon”

 

This poem is dedicated to my friend, Nick Nicholson.  “Pitcher Of Moon” has not be published yet, but perhaps later this fall.  I am hopeful for the 37 poems of blessings and gratitude in there.

Lady Nyo

 

TURKEY VULTURE

 

I once knew a woman

Living in a scrubby trailer park

Down near the scrub pines of Florida.

 

She was poor as a church mouse,

half –crazed by life.

She fed all strays

-was the pariah of the neighborhood.

 

Every evening a flock of vultures,

Like fixed-wing aircraft,

Would skim the pines,

And land in a muddle of feathers,

Awkward birds out of their element

Land and with a group waddle

Come to the cat food offered in pans.

 

They were patient guests

And waited for the strays to finish.

 

There was decorum

Among them,

These fierce looking birds

Perhaps they knew

The charity offered

Had humbled their nature:

Or perhaps they had reformed;

I don’t know

But they had a leader named “Frank”

Who held back until the others were done.

 

Frank would never face you;

He sat sideways

Though I believe he peeked.

Perhaps he was ashamed

A lord of the sky

Brought down to this station,

To fill his crop with kibble

From a dented metal pan.

 

Come sit with me.

Extend a feather,

I promise not to stare.

Your warty red neck,

Your hang-dog countenance

Does not disturb me.

 

Come sit beside me,

Let our talons dig into the sand

Let the ocean cleanse our feathers

I will call you friend, brother

For the gift of trust

You have brought on your wings.

 

Jane Kohut-Bartels

Copyrighted 2012-13 

 

 

 

 

“Eventually, everything goes away.”

This is a short hymn to my friends, and even strangers.

I have been racked with a lot of concerns for a while. Personal issues, health and the damn book(s).

I am not a patient person. That is a much scorned virtue that I need to learn.

However, my friends (and in some surprising cases, strangers) have rallied around and given me support, advice and comfort. They know I have been fragile and vulnerable and some times acting like a crazy woman, but they have held me tighter to them, individually and collectively and led me back on the sidewalk. They have been the balm of comfort.

They have made me laugh when I thought I couldn’t laugh anymore, they have fed me with wisdom and love…pure, unbidden love, and they have most of all, known that their girl here (Teela to many) would return to her senses and start producing again.

They have held onto my hand, not letting me disappear under the bushes like I wanted to, or into the shadows, or into a cave. They have dragged me out into the sunshine for the effects of Vitamin D and have called long distance just to make sure I was breathing.

The book was a big part of this, because like someone said, I think Friend Phil….:”Jane, this is your baby”. Yes, and I didn’t expect such labor pains at this stage of life.

Today I heard from a special friend, Mac the Knife in NY. An ominous name, but one of the gentlest and most intense men (and good looking, too) I have ever known. We have been writing since last January, and I visited him in NY in July this year. He is an expert in shibari, and tied my hands in a restaurant with a silk rope brought with me just for this event. His blog is marvelous..and he has posted a letter of his generated by questions from me, and I am going to see if he will post it later on this blog. It gives a very good and original view of this issue of Doms and Domination. Mac chiming in here would be an excellent ending to the discussion of D/s.

Mac’s blog address: http://ropespringseternal.blogspot.com

This is all just to give a thanks to all my friends, new and old…and a couple of strangers (and you know who you are) who didn’t embarrass me in public like they could have….

Eventually, everything (crazy) goes away. And the Vitamin D starts to work.

Thanks, guys.

Lady Nyo – Teela – Jane