Caw, caw

Caw-caw: watch, hop, flap

– black feathered harbinger

you see right through me

The lone crow cries

across the frozen field.

Civic twilight

Notes: I am in awe of crows* and enjoy drawing them**. There are great books written about crows (and their relatives!), that highlight their intelligence, behaviours, and inquisitive nature (some good videos out there too). I like to watch crows, especially murders*** of them, bobbing their heads, hopping about, talking to each other. I am grateful that I see and hear crows almost daily.

It is a dark time here in Montreal, in early December. And when in a mood reflective of the short days I am reminded that crows are also symbols of darkness, and can be frightening, or remind us of bleak or desolate or difficult times or places; they can be harbingers of more darkness ahead, perhaps.

On 6 December I attended a memorial of the tragic and horrific massacre of fourteen female engineering students, an event that occurred 33 years ago in Montreal. It must always be remembered, and attending the event was so emotional, especially when fourteen (current) female engineering students at McGill spoke and then placed white roses on the plaque. There was a stillness that overcame all of us. It grew quiet, as if on cue.

And then, high in the sky, two crows passed by, saying “caw… caw…” – to each other, to us, to the world.

*I have a tattoo of a crow

**I have sketched crows enough that they are a rare example of a subject matter that does not require me to have a reference (live or photo) to get a general likeness. Today’s sketches presented above were done quickly with a brush pen, during the last stretch of my train ride home last Friday. I *think* they present a likeness to crows, but you can be the judge of that.

***a congregation or gathering of crows is aptly called a murder of crows

© Christopher M Buddle 2022