A bit of whimsy for Jinksy’s tandem. Birds have colour vision and can also see ultra-violet but use it as a survival skill – finding food, attracting a mate in order to reproduce, for example - and not to appreciate the finer things in life, so far as we know!
Graphic copyright Jinksy
Raptors
When raptors soar do they ever look down
And see the beauty beneath them,
Or are they programmed only to kill,
Instinct for life overwhelming?
Through the swirling clouds to the lands below
Is their scrutiny concentrated,
Seeking the prey their talons will snatch
That will shriek as the flesh is torn?
A "high in the sky viewpoint?" What a good idea!
ReplyDeleteDo seagulls count as raptors, I wonder, as thia graphic is so very watery...
Thanks for hopping on the Tandem again. ♥
What a creative take on the prompt! And, what a fascinating question.
ReplyDeleteLove the poem and the painting.
ReplyDeleteI can hear their shrieks. Not a pleasant sound ;-)
ReplyDeleteDo birds look around for enjoyment once in awhile? I wonder. We know so little of how animals think.
ReplyDeleteMy first instinct was to say "No, they don't care if it's beautiful or not" but then I thought, "Hey, why can't they enjoy it, too?"
ReplyDeleteSo, my answer is, I don't know, but I hope they do.
— K
Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel
I like this very much Janice. I don't know what they think but to be able to soar like a bird, I know what I would be thinking, absolutely heavenly!
ReplyDeletewell, I hope they are enjoying the view, because I do love looking up and seeing them soar, even if their primary reason for soaring is to find some poor critter to nail for dinner...
ReplyDeleteI love that graphic...some of my favorite colors. Sea foam greens and blues. The poem is excellent -- until I came to that last line -- but then I expect I reacted exactly as you wanted the reader to do.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting questions. This reminds me of something I read recently about raptors. Hunting takes a lot of effort and energy, many will starve before maturity. Life is hard for raptors but one can hope they sometimes see the beauty.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful poem! The last line made me shiver.
ReplyDeleteI would have thought that mating was one of the finer things of life!
ReplyDeleteDo hunters (the human kind) enjoy the beauty of the forest and the majesty of the deer? Loved your question and it makes me wonder...
ReplyDeleteBeautiful poser... clever perspective!
ReplyDeleteNice view of the painting... I would think that raptors are programmed to kill and survive...
ReplyDeletegreat take on the prompt ...loved it thank you x
ReplyDeleteThoughtful poem. We have a family of Cooper's Hawks raised on our property every year. They fascinate me and I have written a few pieces about them...lots of philosophy. Two of them buzzed my kitchen sink window just before they flew away for the winter this year. I actually ducked! I think they were saying "farewell for now". Right, a bit insane of me, but I do half believe the birds and animals we live with have some inexplicable affinity with us :-)
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