As an aspiring blogger, devotee of the english language (grammar not included) and lover of lexicons, the skill of the poet is much admired in my heart. I found this delightful little poem and hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.
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.
If you listen to the Barred Owl’s hoots, cackles, caws, and gurgles, you can understand the poets desire to allay the fears of a young child! Visit (then scroll down page) to hear for yourself: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Barred_Owl/sounds
Barred Owl Facts:
- Only the Barred Owl and the Barn Owl have brown eyes, all other owls in the U.S. have yellow eyes.
- It’s called a Barred Owl because of the bars of brown and white across the bird’s chest (not because it’s excluded from anything).
- Its hoot actually sounds like “who cooks for you, who cooks for you all.” (particularly if you’re hungry)
- They’re homebodies and don’t migrate.