With submissive talons, shaded eyes
through leather gloves I feel his veins
upon his wrist I dream of skies,
my heart beats strong from sparrow’s pain.
On thermal columns, once my wings
untouched, before possessive thoughts.
The tamer’s voice: he called, he sang
I brought my blood, the prey I caught
I wheeled and hovered, as my feather turned
caught between what’s tame and wild
I lost for sweetness of a leather burn
of thongs and hood, a raptor failed.
O, mocking clouds, I’m no longer free
caress of captors gloves is what I feel.
The Knight with a falcon by Rembrandt
September 12, 2015
Björn Rudbergs writings 
Gee, just realized I clicked Like from Tournesol too!! Okay, so I enjoyed this read very much. Every time I read your poetry and Paul F. Lenzi’s poems, I feel like I am reading from the classics…such a gift you have!!
To be tamed by those leather gloves is to lose the wildness of the skies ~ You captured the rhythm of Thom Gunn’s verses ~
A lovely sonnet Bjorn ~ Thanks for participating in my Featured Poet challenges ~ Have a good weekend ~
This brings one right into the present moment with so much movement and sensory details…very vivid, Bjorn!
Whew, the caress of captors’ gloves…..not sure that I would consider the gloves of captors as caressing, but I suppose in some circumstances it could be.
I brought my blood, the prey I caught
I wheeled and hovered, as my feather turned
caught between what’s tame and wild
A sparrow fell prey to the predator and the likes of nature’s drama are repeated. Smoothly taken Bjorn!
Hank
beautifully inspired by Tamer and Hawk…love the changes like “caught between what’s tame and wild”…
Both we and the natural world can bond when there is trust and that joy of partnership. Beautiful written Bjorn.
well written as always bjorn!
I am a great fan of the steady pace of a sonnet, how it encapsulates thoughts so well. I like POV here of the bird of prey, itself captive of another.
You really took us into this painting..your words as textured as the brush strokes..it is a pity that some things need to be tamed…let’s hope imagination can always run free
wow, what insight. love the personification of the leather apparel
gracias
enjoyed this sonnet. 🙂
alas, this bird of prey has just become a tool for sport.
It feels like you brought the painting to life! Excellent write 🙂
This piece makes me think of the complex feelings that emanate out of the heart of an abused person. The “submissive talons” tell us exactly how the speaker behaves–wildness tamed (stolen); the use of the word “caress” to describe the touch of the tamer points to the sacrifice the speaker has made in order to survive… Such a sad piece.
Beautifully done – too often the form of tge sonnet overtakes the piem for me ..but not here – images so vivid that this “tilted sonnet ” of yours sings
I especially like the lines ~ … dream of sky … and caught between the tame and wild … almost a yearning to be set free.
Ah, I always enjoy the song of a sonnet…we must keep a bit of ourselves untamed..as the spirit needs to fly.
A super interesting point of view, Bjorn. So hard to know what those birds feel–surely, there must be a kind of loyalty too–the exchange of veins for sky I found especially compelling. k.
Extremely sad. One can entirely feel the pain of captivity of the bird. A really nice write
Much love…
Gosh, I was looking at the original of that painting not so long ago, on a visit to Melbourne where it was in a visiting exhibition! I like the way you have imagined yourself into the bird’s situation.
The sonnet is a great medium. It allows for so much depth and expressiveness all contained in a beautiful, song-like frame. Nice job.
A prey becomes prey–or captive–and sees the connection, but somehow fondly likes the touch of leather?
Oh how I love this! Breathtaking, getting inside the raptor’s mind as he realizes he is caught between tame and wild, captive to the captor’s glove. Bjorn, you would love the book H is for Hawk – It is a fascinating, riveting true account of a woman training her goshawk.
Oh that sounds so interesting.. hawks and falcons are amazing birds.
Bjorn what a fabulous sonnet from the raptors eyes and mind….and a bit of a twist….so well penned!
A beautiful sonnet – filled with wonderful lines that strike notes of classical antiquity, in the Western poetic tradition, and infuse the piece with a grand lyrical import. You’ve articulated a theme here that, I think, conjures forth a number of parallels in history and literature and, once again, created an outstanding poem.
I once sat and watched a man working a red-tailed hawk. I watched for what seemed to be a long time. When I finally turned away, my thoughts were much like the ending of your poem, about the loss of freedom and I felt deep sadness.
Elizabeth
You captured the feeling of Gunn’s poetry so well. There is a give and take in it. The longing for freedom is there, but yet the pulsing connection to a captor is its own surrender. Beautiful
This is a powerful, scary poem. It almost makes me think of worshiping Satan! The opening, I think, is my favorite. But it’s all excellent.
What impresses me most about this is how true you are to POV–the physical presence of what it is to be a hawk, captured, and the metaphor of lover and loved Gunn used it as remains very strong here. Also, the sonnet form comes so naturally to your pen that it makes a very understated but supremely effective framework for the thoughts.
Excellent use of the painting. The perspective used in your poem really makesone think about the other figure.
The painting was added after I wrote the poem.. the real inspiration was a poem by Thom Gunn 🙂
awww…i feel so sorry for the captive. could you have written it with a happy ending instead?
On some level we all want a bit of discipline, of knowing where the line it. It keeps us feeling safe. I wonder is it bad to long for the leather thongs and hood. Ha.