Death Scream

outside at 10 pm

with the dogs

a death cry fight

came from the

woods 50

yards out

we all froze

stood motionless

paralyzed with fear

already mourning

something

something fought

something died

in the woods

we think it was

an owl attacking

another feral cat

the terror of the

forest at night

is every fairy tale

illustration of the

dark side that

traumatized childhood

into needing

another glass of water

our woods are

where we live

and sleep

stuck in the pages

of no happily

ever after for

our wildlife

after YouTube

church we’ll take

the tractor to

the crime scene

we, the detectives

of the dark forest

Our Great Horned Owl Visits

Last night was another fabulous night observing one of our resident Great Horned Owls on the Johnson Funny Farm here in rural middle Georgia. Usually the pair arrives together, but last night it was one lone owl putting on a show. I have been slipping out to the front porch around 7:45 each evening, armed with my camera, binoculars, and eBird app on my phone. I sit on one of the loveseats on the porch, as still and quiet as I can be. The owls fly in from the west side of the farm and hang out right at the top of the driveway in the clearing. They swoop from ground to tree, then down from tree to ground, looking for prey.

This morning, I’m sharing these photos I took last night. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed taking them. Be sure to zoom in on the one with the flag – the yellow eyes are mesmerizing!