A Barred Owl
BY RICHARD WILBUR
The warping night air having brought the boom
Of an owl’s voice into her darkened room,
We tell the wakened child that all she heard
Was an odd question from a forest bird,
Asking of us, if rightly listened to,
“Who cooks for you?” and then “Who cooks for you?”
Words, which can make our terrors bravely clear,
Can also thus domesticate a fear,
And send a small child back to sleep at night
Not listening for the sound of stealthy flight
Or dreaming of some small thing in a claw
Borne up to some dark branch and eaten raw.
Emily Carter ~ Nature as Art 
What a beauty, the owl and the words.. 🙂
Thank you so much, Love this poem and thrilled that I found it.
We love the barred owl! He’s the reason we sleep with the windows open every night. Great prose.
How glorious this is Shannon. Hearing “Who Cooks for You?” throughout the night. Thank you!
Their territorial calls are the MOST amazing, sounding more like monkeys than owls! I linked a recording to some in a post (http://wp.me/p28k6D-1HV). It positively gets the hairs up on your arm when they’re right overhead!
But oh. To get a good photo of one. It’s on my bucket list. 😀
I love that! Nature’s sounds can be quite frightening when camping in the wild, and to a child, it must be terrifying. Nice soothing words. I’ll try and remember them. 🙂
Isn’t that the truth? Even now I hear thing that freak me out. Just think what it’s like on an African safari! Isn’t this a wonderful poem? So perfect for the owl.
What a superb first two lines – so evocative!
Indeed this is quite the special poem, and perfect for this owl. Thank you!
I loved the woods as a child… as I’m still a child, I enjoy them even more now!
Great prose and you caught the owl with great expression.
Are you sure you and I aren’t twins? We love the same things. I can see us getting in trouble every day. I love this owl, so unassuming. Thank you Ilex.
What fitting words by Richard Wilbur to go with your GLORIOUS capture of this Barred Owl – how absolutely DELIGHTFUL! 😉
So thrilled that you enjoyed this so much. Thank you!
Reblogged this on Prayer journal.