Losing My Religion to the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
I have a fairly new photography blog, and this particular post deals not only with photographing a bird, but has some rather subtle social commentary about not going to church on Sunday morning. For that reason I am crossposting from the Photography Group. I didn't intend for it to offend anyone, so the subtleties may not even be evident to some people. I am not coming at this from a confrontational position of either a "believer" or a "non-believer." I just thought some of you might be interested in it, especially if you like the acoustic version of the R.E.M. song "Losing My Religion" (although "religion" in the song is not the *literal* religion, I chose the song because I was taking photos on a Sunday morning, if that makes sense). I hope you all like it.
Losing My Religion to the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
= new reply since forum marked as read
Here's a poem for you in another vein.
Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844–89).
The Windhover
To Christ our Lord
I CAUGHT this morning morning’s minion, king-
dom of daylight’s dauphin, dapple-dawn-drawn Falcon, in his riding
Of the rolling level underneath him steady air, and striding
High there, how he rung upon the rein of a wimpling wing
In his ecstasy! then off, off forth on swing,
As a skate’s heel sweeps smooth on a bow-bend: the hurl and gliding
Rebuffed the big wind. My heart in hiding
Stirred for a bird,—the achieve of; the mastery of the thing!
Brute beauty and valour and act, oh, air, pride, plume, here
Buckle! AND the fire that breaks from thee then, a billion 10
Times told lovelier, more dangerous, O my chevalier!
No wonder of it: shéer plód makes plough down sillion
Shine, and blue-bleak embers, ah my dear,
Fall, gall themselves, and gash gold-vermillion.
