As the Crow Flies: Collected Poems

By Steve K. Bertrand

The connection between crows and people extends far back in the history of the world. Here in the Pacific Northwest, corvids (crows, jay, and ravens) are as plentiful as rain. They frequent our forests, mountains, and seas.

Because of the close proximity in which they dwell to humans, they are very much a part of our daily lives. They scavenge in our yards, streets, and trees. They perch atop stop signs, telephone poles, and automobiles. They frolic at the park, bus stops, and grocery stores. Dressed in black with a fan-shaped tail, their song is a repeated, Caw, caw, caw.

Not known for being picky when it comes to food, they are known to dine on everything from insects and fruit to Burger King fare and Chinese takeout. And when it comes to lodging, crows hide their bowl-shaped nests constructed from twigs, moss, and leaves in trees or on the ground. Crows are known for their intelligence.

Prevalent in the mythology of Native Americans, crows were often referred to as tricksters. Their brains are large compared to their body size. Befriend or antagonize a crow, and he will remember you. He may even pass on his praise or complaints to friends and relatives. Crows can be mischievous, passionate, playful, wrathful, and social. They have been known to drink coffee, fashion tools, and lure fish just like humans. And so long as you dont get on their bad side, crows make pretty good neighbors.

This collection of poetry attempts to simply preserve observations of Corvids as we pass through the various seasons in the Pacific Northwest. One need not look too far for the human element in these poems. It is my hope this book honors these wondrous creatures. Enjoy!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: May 19, 2017
• ISBN: 9781524590376

Steve K. Bertrand

For this pictorial history of Paine Field, Steve K. Bertrand has selected more than 200 images from the local community, historical societies, regional libraries, and state archives. He has traced the rich history of Paine Field from its earliest days to its present status as a bustling airport and commercial aviation center. These photographs provide a glimpse into the people and events that influenced this small community in the Pacific Northwest.

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Copyright © 2017 by Steve K. Bertrand.

ISBN:                Softcover                978-1-5245-9036-9

                          eBook                      978-1-5245-9037-6

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 05/19/2017

Xlibris

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Books by Steve K. Bertrand

Poetry

The Silhouette of a Mallard’s Wing

Where the Fly has Flown

Winter Chill

Chants of the Makah

On the Edge of Slumber

Don Quixote Gives Up on Chivalry

The Little Book of Business Haiku

A Thousand Miles

Between the Tides

Tell Me, Moon

The Book of Fours

Nonfiction

Mukilteo

Paine Field

CONTENTS

I. Spring

II. Summer

III. Autumn

IV. Winter

Again – For Donna Marie

ThinkstockPhotos-482671265.jpg

On a bare branch a crow is perched - autumn evening.

Bashō Matsuo

Preface

The connection between crows and people extends far back in the history of the world. Here in the Pacific Northwest, Corvids (crows, jay & ravens) are as plentiful as rain. They frequent our forests, mountains and seas.

Because of the close proximity in which they dwell to humans, they are very much a part of our daily lives. They scavenge in our yards, streets and trees. They perch atop stop signs, telephone poles and automobiles. They frolic at the park, bus stop and grocery store.

Dressed in black with a fan-shaped tail, their song is a repeated caw-caw-caw. Not known for being picky when it comes to food, they are known to dine on everything from insects and fruit, to Burger King faire and Chinese take-out. And, when it comes to lodging, crows hide their bowl-shaped nests constructed from twigs, moss and leaves in trees or on the ground.

Crows are known for their intelligence. Prevalent in the mythology of Native Americans, crows were often referred to as the Trickster. Their brains are large compared to their body size. Befriend or antagonize a crow, he will remember you. He may even pass on his praise or complaints to friends and relatives.

Crows can be mischievous, passionate, playful, wrathful and social. They have been known to drink coffee, fashion tools and lure fish just like humans. And, so long as you don’t get on their bad side, crows make pretty good neighbors.

This collection of poetry attempts to simply preserve observations of Corvids as we pass through the various seasons in the Pacific Northwest. One need not look too far for the human element in these poems. It is my hope this book honors these wondrous creatures. Enjoy!

Steve K. Bertrand

I. Spring

As the crow flies –

so go my thoughts

when it comes to you, love.

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