And the Hawk Flies
Julie Stuckey
And the hawk flies high over the city –
soaring above glinting metal, carving
delight aloft.
Trees in bare outline frame
street-level bustle, surrounding
pedestrians, traffic, yellow cabs,
joggers, commuters, cyclists.
Home, this island of temporary green –
mere speck in the vastness
which she knows.
We delight in our ingenuity,
our ability to entice wild creatures
to share our cities…
Yet she soars gracefully aloft –
heedless of the tenuous tether
to which she is bound.
soaring above glinting metal, carving
delight aloft.
Trees in bare outline frame
street-level bustle, surrounding
pedestrians, traffic, yellow cabs,
joggers, commuters, cyclists.
Home, this island of temporary green –
mere speck in the vastness
which she knows.
We delight in our ingenuity,
our ability to entice wild creatures
to share our cities…
Yet she soars gracefully aloft –
heedless of the tenuous tether
to which she is bound.
Listen to Julie read the poem here:
Working notes
I am especially drawn to writing firmly rooted in the imagery of the natural world; external observation guides me metaphorically. Writing has provided a link to the powerful women who are engaged in making the world a more humane place.
About the author
Julie Stuckey grew up in Pennsylvania, graduated from the University of Delaware with a degree in Business/Philosophy concentration, and currently lives in Pawling, New York. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in many literary journals and anthologies, including A Handful of Dust, Amoskeag, Anderbo, Apropos Literary Journal, Blast Furnace, Broad River Review, Dove Tales Literary Journal, Moonshot Magazine, Open to Interpretation/Intimate Landscape, Prairie Wolf Press Review, Seven Hills Review, This Great Society, Verdad, and Wilderness House Literary Review. Several of her poems have received finalist or honorable mention status in various contests.