The Selfish Crow
by Lucia Peralta, Harkaway Hills College
Years 7 – 8 Ekphrastic Poetry Finalist
‘Crow Eating a Persimmon’ by Ohara Koson (c.1910)
Black bird sitting in a tree.
Searching for food impatiently.
With beady eyes and a sharp beak,
She pecks the persimmon to make it leak.
At last Mother crow can rest!
Feast on nature’s fruit platter, the very best!
The golden nectar is so sweet.
No other fruit can compete.
She forgets her duty of care,
For her babies on a branch elsewhere.
Curled up tightly in their nest,
Their little mouths chirp without rest.
Under the spell of fruit so rich and sweet,
She only hears her eager heartbeat.
When she’s had her fill she hears their cry,
A hungry chorus in the sky.
At last, the crow begins to see,
Her babies matter more than she.
She plucks the fruit with loving haste,
So all her chicks can have a taste.
How did writing this poem make you feel?
It made me feel curious about crows and persimmons. I’ve actually never tasted a persimmon before so I had to look it up and asked mum to get one for me to try. I’ve seen a birds nest in my backyard and the babies were really loud so I imagined them calling for their mum.
Which single line in your poem are you the absolute proudest of?
I am most proud of the line, ‘At last, the crow begins to see, her babies matter more than she’. It shows the crow realising that caring for her babies is more important than being selfish.
Describe your poem in three words
Selfish, meaningful, heartwarming.
Where is your absolute favourite place to sit when you are brainstorming ideas?
My favourite place to brainstorm ideas is at my desk, where I can sit quietly, focus on my thoughts, and let my creativity flow.
What skills do you think you strengthened through writing this poem?
I learnt to look at pictures carefully to make sure I notice all the important details. I’m used to looking at things quickly. My teacher told me to stick the picture on my page so I could keep looking at it while writing.
Why do you think people write poetry?
To share stories with other people and teach them about the world the way they see it. Not everyone has time to read a book but they have time to read a short poem that makes them feel new things.