BFTP: Lit teachers, don't despair

On a recent morning's windy walk, I caught our neighborhood red-tailed hawk on her raptorial patrol. The first few lines of Gerard Manley Hopkins's poem "The Windover" came to mind when I saw this creature...

I caught this morning morning’s minion, king-
dom of daylight’s dauphin, dapple-dawn-drawn Falcon, in his riding 
Of the rolling level underneath him steady air, and striding 
High there, how he rung upon the rein of a wimpling wing 
In his ecstasy! then off, off forth on swing, 
As a skate’s heel sweeps smooth on a bow-bend: the hurl and gliding 
Rebuffed the big wind. My heart in hiding 
Stirred for a bird,—the achieve of, the mastery of the thing!  

I was introduced to this poem in either high school or college and don't remember being particularly impressed by it. But fifty years later, the sound and images came back. Imperfectly. Probably misinterpreted. But strongly, adding depth and beauty to my walk and to my life.

English teachers, librarians, poets - don't give up. It just takes some of us a little longer to get it.

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