Sparrowhawk
Listen to the poem ...
An eye flash of speed
and car alarm blackbirds
tell me you’ve tested the air:
surfed a low wave
in a high stake hawk ride,
navigated branch gaps,
scared the bluetits witless,
while beaks from tree and bush
alert the neighbourhood watch.
I stay and wait, patient and quiet,
rewarded with an appearance;
Shakespeare’s young musket.
Stick legs in fluffed up pantaloons,![]()
short stay power perching
on my garden gate.
A striped waist-coated bully,
young eyes wide in disappointment
at the lack of dozy pigeons
and the satisfying explosion of feathers.
and car alarm blackbirds
tell me you’ve tested the air:
surfed a low wave
in a high stake hawk ride,
navigated branch gaps,
scared the bluetits witless,
while beaks from tree and bush
alert the neighbourhood watch.
I stay and wait, patient and quiet,
rewarded with an appearance;
Shakespeare’s young musket.
Stick legs in fluffed up pantaloons,
short stay power perching
on my garden gate.
A striped waist-coated bully,
young eyes wide in disappointment
at the lack of dozy pigeons
and the satisfying explosion of feathers.
This poem is copyright (©) Jonathan Humble 2024
About the Writer
Jonathan Humble
Jonathan lives in Cumbria. His work has been published online and in print in a number of magazines and anthologies. His first collection of poetry, My Camel's Name Is Brian, was published by TMB Books in 2015. His second poetry book, Fledge came out in 2020 through Maytree Press. His poems for children have been shortlisted and highly commended in the Caterpillar and Yorkmix poetry competitions and he is the editor of The Dirigible Balloon. His poems Masterclass and This Work is Done were chosen as the Milk House Poem of the Year at the end of 2022 and 2023.
