Why did I name this blog, Crow on the Wire?
l had a long lapse of creative inactivity that made me bored and dissatisfied. Then eight years ago, I took a big risk–sold my house, left a good job, and packed a few things into my Prius (including my pretty girlfriend, eventually to become my wife). I moved from cold Philadelphia to sunny Santa Barbara via a five-day, cross-country road trip. Once in California, my creative juices began to bubble up again. The creative muse was triggered by a band of crows that gathered outside my Santa Barbara apartment at 5:30 a.m. every morning. Many people would view these sturdy corvids as an annoyance or pest, but I instantly took them as a blessing, a good omen. They sat in the trees and on the utility wires and the sound of their caws and cries perked my curiosity.
I believe that the crows were there for me in a symbolic way. They woke me up to the world and encouraged me to stop going through life sleepwalking with a career that I had lost passion for (psychotherapy). It was the crows that made me want to explore the world from a different angle, one of more compassion and sensitivity.
The crows seem to have a more interesting perspective of humanity than we do, seeing the world from the treetops, the roofs of houses, and the utility lines. They observe our quirky nature, our strengths and weaknesses without judging us.
My creative voice is the evidence of my existence on this planet. Enjoy my poetry, stories, and pictures. Comment as much as you like. Peace from the wire, Mark.
For more on my connection to crows, read my article, Meditation on Crow, in the elephant journal.
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All of my poems and stories are copyrighted as well as some of the pictures. They cannot be used without my consent.
Please support this site by purchasing my two poetry books that are now available, Awkward Grace and Magical Yogis. You can also pre-order my book, The Asthmatic Kid and Other Stories. Thank you.
sir,
would you like to become Co-Author of our site POETRY PASSION.
since you have huge collection of your poems,so thats y I am asking you.
I shall be thankful if you accept the request
What does being a co-author mean?
As an author you will be able to publish and edit your own posts as well as upload media on POETRY PASSION in your own style & as many times as you want
WHATEVER YOU WILL POST ALONG WITH YOUR BLOG’S URL,THAT WILL GO TO MORE THAN 3,000 FOLLOWERS OF “POETRY PASSION”,THEREBY INCREASING YOUR SITE TRAFFIC.
Do I keep all rights to my work?
yes,it will be same as posting on your own blog
just send me your e-mail id I will send you in invitation mail to join as Author of site poetry passion
Mftulin@hotmail.com
please check the mail & just click on Accept Invitation button there & start posting
Hi! Thanks a lot for joining Thoughts of SheryL!
Great blog! 🙂
Thank you for your visit
Have a happy weekend for you~ 🙂
very good site.
Mark, it intrigues me how the crows became the symbolic bird that told you to get on with it.
Start being creative again.
As you know Eagle, Falcon, hawk and other birds play similar roles in other belief systems.
E.g. Native Americans.
Miriam
i didn’t know that about the other birds. The crows were really the first to greet me once i arrived in California. Something about them resonated in me. Perhaps I was a crow in a prior life.
Who knows 😊
Thank you Mark, for visiting my blog and choosing to follow it. I’m much delighted! Thanks also for going through and hitting ‘like’ on many of my posts.
Your welcome.
You should come to Ireland .we are invaded by crows.plenty in my garden too,may be ill look at them under a different prospective now😊
Crows have style. They seem to choose beautiful spots to hang out like in your garden. Who can blame them?
Thank you.I am a bat 🦇lover actually
That’s cool. They get a bad rap.
Not in my house😉🦇
I really enjoyed your transition story. Crows are very unique and make a very grating sound. Perhaps they are, like we, trying to let everyone know they too exist and want to be recognized.
Dwight
That’s good, Dwight. So true.
Thanks for following my blog. I find crows fascinating. Great name for your blog!
Thank you JPC
Yours is a wonderful blog, Mark. I like it very much because it is honest, heart-felt, observative and inspirational. Furthermore, you have a great capacity to communicate thoughts and feelings. You are accessible and very clear, which is something not all poets and writers possess. What apparently looks simple contains elaborate language and beautiful metaphors. I love the presentation “About The Crow” because it is well written as it reveals authenticity about how your life story has evolved. The encounter with the crows as the symbolic startpoint for the display of your creativity is wonderful. I love the article Meditation on Crow. You show a great detail for observation in all these animals do, which allows you to connect their lives with the ones of human animals, where often non-human animals know better with their selflessness and collective work. Excellent work!
Thank you for your perspective of my work and hearing my voice. 🙏🏻
You are welcome.
Hey Mark, hope all is well. Do you happen to know what happened to the Poetry Passion site??
i was going to contact you. No, I don’t. I’m assuming he shut the site down. He might still be on my facebook. I’ll try to contact him and let you know if I find out anything.
Sounds good.. it was kind of out of nowhere.. hope things are ok with him..
Yeah, me too.
Dear Mark, Thanks for being an Author in Virtual Library… And this post is quite interesting! Crows..we Indians believe that they are our ancestors who died before and there are sect of people who feed them in the morning by putting the eatables outside/ and the roof top of the house.
We strongly believe that, if a single crow keep making a rattle of sound , symbolizing that there is someone relative is dead who is far away.
But when many crows join together and making caws really meant what you said..they plan something/ they want to inform all that there is some big food available a distance away for all….
Your welcome. And thanks AP for that wonderful insight to the crows, very helpful in my continued understanding of this wonderful bird.
crows are super intelligent! wishing you joy & success with all your best dreams 🙂
Thank you, da-AL, and success and joy to you as well.
🙂
You have a unique perspective on life, a rare quality. Thanks for being you 🙏🏽
Thank you, Marsa 🙂
Thanks for the “follow,” Mark. Right back atcha! I’ll look forward to your posts.
Same here, Sarah. Have a great day. 🙏🏻
I commend you on taking such a huge leap of faith and making the decision to explore your creative voice instead of sleepwalking through life with a boring job. Not many of us are brave enough to do so, and I wish you the best of luck on your journey 🙂
I stumbled on your poem “The Perfect Place” on Drabble and I really liked it! I’m glad to have found your blog here on WordPress and looking forward to reading more of your work!
Thank you, Jade for you encouragement and follow. 🙏
Bravo to you for following the call to make a bold move in your life. And the crows……I like crows. We have many who visit the front lawn beneath the bird feeder. Fascinating and intelligent birds.
Thank you, Anne. The more I read of the crow the more I am fascinated and mindful of them. 😊
Terrific! What a wonderful piece of writing. I’m sold
Appreciate it, John.
Crows use tools, highly intelligent. Maybe they want to write for your blog! Wonderful poems.
Thanks for following.
Well, if they can pick up a pencil, they could tap a keyboard. 🙂
WOW! This is so cool, Mark!!! I love that Y’all did that and YAY! What a way to kick start the Muse!!! And You probably already know this, but I love crows as well and in some Native American lore they are the totem of Universal Law. Very powerful. Cheers and Rock on!!! I’m so happy You woke back up…..
Me, too. That’s cool that crows are the totem of Universal Law. I will check into that. Thanks for the encouragement!! 🙂🙏🏻
My pleasure! ☀️🙏🏼😊
I’ve had crows show up at moments in my life when a change was about to occur. I think of them as omens. A message.
Me, too, JT. I didn’t notice them until I arrived in California seven years ago. I see them as my writing muse. 🙂
It’s great to know about you and your blog.
Thank you.
I love my crows in every season!
Me, too. 🙂
🙂
Ah, the American dream! I love crows. They’re just raucous and they don’t care. 🙂
Yes, they mischievous and super organized.
We have a lot of crows here. I love them and find them fascinating.
Amazing. I think they bring good luck.
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Apparently crows can tell humans apart and tend to befriend humans that are kind to them.
Yes, I’ve heard that, too. They are also mischievous and have a sense of humor. I enjoy observing them very much. 🙂
Finding crows and Yogis on one blog is no every day thing 🙂
Ha. That’s true, Narayan. 🙂
Mark, I’d like to get your permission to put music to some of your poems like we used to do a long time ago in Philadelphia. This would not be for sale or profit, just for fun. If I come up with something interesting, I can send you a link and/or the file.
The goal would be to do something like Kerouac with Al Cohn and Zoot Sims.
Of course, Dave. Since, I moved to Santa Barbara, I’ve been trying to connect with you. I’m on the beach as we speak, wearing a mask and sitting next to my wife, Alice. I hope you’re doing well. Mark
Mar, I was pleased to discover that your poetry collection, Awkward Grace, is also available at Barnes & Noble, where I purchase my books. I look forward to savoring your poetic meanderings of the human condition.
Much thanks!!
Hello, I see you are also originally from Philly, as am I. Nice to meet you. Looking forward to reading more of your crow.
Yep, I am Jay. I moved to California about 8 years ago. A lot of what I write occurred as a kid growing up in Northeast Philly. Glad you followed and I am interested in your blog as well. 🙂