Metamorphosis
for Franz Kafka, 1883-1924
Cathedral-bird cawdaw jackerdaw,*
a dark plumaged passerine bird.
A jackdaw is kavka in Czech.
The genus of crows and ravens,
it calls in a metallic chyak chyak.
Cathedral-bird cawdaw jackerdaw.
Jackdaws are harbingers of rain,
their under-wings are wire grey,
and kavka means jackdaw in Czech.
His sisters Elli, Valli and Ottla
died in forty-one, two and three.
Cathedral-bird cawdaw jackerdaw.
Greeks tell that a jackdaw falls
seeking his kin in a dish of oil.
A jackdaw is kavka in Czech.
His beak and throat are clattering:
he calls in a metallic chyak chyak.
Cathedral-bird cawdaw jackerdaw.
A jackdaw is kavka in Czech.
*some obsolete names for jackdaw
I heard Susan read this poem at a gathering at Collected Works Bookshop here in Melbourne and was very taken with it. But I seem to always be very taken with her work. She seems to be able to make the crystal ring with no sense of strain, her words hover and fly. It's almost alchemical. It is a kind of magic.
Great poem! The repetition in the form works really well for the bird sounds.
ReplyDeleteRICK...he's with his COSON and her name's MARY PAT.
ReplyDeleteThey got culling in TEXAS with HITURAT.
And they got METTETAL and CARIBOO,
They take it ARIZONA.
MOOMEN and LOU.
And EARL is with it
He's with POLKA DOT!
They got to the NETHERLANDS.
They got what they COTTE.
And FEASHE and LOBSTER and CRAB and OWL,
All talking about how.