Their shadow dims the sunshine of our day, As they go lumbering across the sky, Squawking in joy of feeling safe on high, Beating their heavy wings of owlish gray. They scare the singing birds of earth away As, greed-impelled, they circle threateningly, Watching the toilers with malignant eye, From their exclusive haven -- birds of prey. They swoop down for the spoil in certain might, And fasten in our bleeding flesh their claws. They beat us to surrender weak with fright, And tugging and tearing without let or pause, They flap their hideous wings in grim delight, And stuff our gory hearts into their maws.
2 thoughts on ““Birds of Prey” by Claude McKay [w/ Audio]”
Hard for me to accept “threateningly” as a rhyme for “sky” — although, of all people, H.P. Lovecraft has an essay arguing for such rhymes. And you have to respect the man who devised the Cthulhu mythos!
Yes, I guess for mid 20th century. Not like the Victorian non-rhymes that were perfect rhymes in their time. Dickinson was exceptional at slant rhyming, or whatever you’d call it, where it there was not a rhyme at all, but the poem still sounded lyrical.
Tiger Riding for Beginners 
Hard for me to accept “threateningly” as a rhyme for “sky” — although, of all people, H.P. Lovecraft has an essay arguing for such rhymes. And you have to respect the man who devised the Cthulhu mythos!
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Yes, I guess for mid 20th century. Not like the Victorian non-rhymes that were perfect rhymes in their time. Dickinson was exceptional at slant rhyming, or whatever you’d call it, where it there was not a rhyme at all, but the poem still sounded lyrical.
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