In Praise of An Augury of Birds
In An Augury of Birds, Scott Owens assumes the role of the augur, taking the auspices, examining bird behavior with great deliberation and mindfulness. The task is not merely to observe but to insist we, too, become “a part of the flock,” we, too, engage in the nest building he contemplates, “the careful placement of each leaf, / each lost piece of string.” The task is to remind us of their presence, put birds—often overlooked in our day-to-day lives—squarely in the foreground, to spiritually connect us to these predecessors, these dinosaurs, to keep the “two worlds // we imagine apart, together.”
— John Hoppenthaler,Author of Night Wing over Metropolitan Area
Robert Lynd is quoted as saying, “In order to see birds it is necessary to become a part of the silence.” If each of us may create silence, within and around us, birds will complete it with wing whirr and song. As do the poems and photographs in An Augury of Birds. Scott Owens and Clayton Joe Young reward our held breath and contemplative approach to make these feathered creatures our companions – individual, distinctive, ripe with purpose. And Augury is entirely apt. Wasn’t Rachel Carson’s prophecy of a silent spring the spark that ignited our current fire of conservation and environmentalism? Noticing birds is a gateway to noticing the universe. Lift the latch, enter these pages, become part of these lives – If you close your eyes / you can hear the cosmos opening.
— Bill Griffin, naturalist and author of How We All Fly
About the Photographer
Clayton Joe Young is the author of 12 books and is an award-winning photographer with a background in photojournalism. Young’s work has been exhibited throughout the United States in solo and juried exhibitions. In 2014, Young earned the Certified Professional Photographers (CPP) designation from Professional Photographers of America. In May of 2015, Young earned a MFA in Photography from the Savannah College of Art and Design.Young is the Director and Senior Professor for the Photographic Technology Program at Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory, NC. Through backpacking, kayaking, and hiking, Young enjoys capturing the beauty of the outdoors with his wife and family. To see more of his work, visit: www.joeyoungphoto.com
SAMPLE POEM
Cooper
William Cooper could not have known
you’d grant such immortality to his name.
Acrobatic sunrise hunter,
long-tailed rudder letting you fly
among limbs where few like you
would dare, picking out starlings
and finches, chipmunks and squirrels,
and of course your favorite fowl
that has you called Chicken Hawk.
Red-eyed, black-capped, hook-billed,
banded tail, cinnamon striped belly,
dropping from poplar top, twisting
through branches with such admirable ease
I have to wake myself to yell,
run forward, when I realize your target —
my cat slinking across the yard.