Black Rook in Rainy Weather – Sylvia Plath
On the stiff twig up there
Hunches a wet black rook
Arranging and rearranging its feathers in the rain-
I do not expect a miracle
Or an accident
To set the sight on fire
In my eye, nor seek
Any more in the desultory weather some design,
But let spotted leaves fall as they fall
Without ceremony, or portent.
Although, I admit, I desire,
Occasionally, some backtalk
From the mute sky, I can’t honestly complain:
A certain minor light may still
Lean incandescent
Out of kitchen table or chair
As if a celestial burning took
Possession of the most obtuse objects now and then โ
Thus hallowing an interval
Otherwise inconsequent
By bestowing largesse, honor
One might say love. At any rate, I now walk
Wary (for it could happen
Even in this dull, ruinous landscape); sceptical
Yet politic, ignorant
Of whatever angel any choose to flare
Suddenly at my elbow. I only know that a rook
Ordering its black feathers can so shine
As to seize my senses, haul
My eyelids up, and grant
A brief respite from fear
Of total neutrality. With luck,
Trekking stubborn through this season
Of fatigue, I shall
Patch together a content
Of sorts. Miracles occur.
If you care to call those spasmodic
Tricks of radiance
Miracles. The wait’s begun again,
The long wait for the angel,
For that rare, random descent.
by Silvia Plath (1932-63)
April 26, 2024 at 10:01 pm
Dear Professor Cole,
Hello! I commend you for featuring Sylvia Plath’s poem entitled “Black Rook in Rainy Weather”. Such a short and tragic life she had, for such a talent who received a Pulitzer Prize in Poetry in 1982 posthumously!
I would like to inform you that I am currently running the ๐ Collaborative Poetry Challenge โ๐ป in my academic post metaphorically entitled “๐๐ Growing Humanity with Artificial Intelligence: A Sociotechnological Petri Dish with Latent Threats, Existential Risks and Challenging Prospects ๐จโ๐ฉโ๐ฆโ๐ฆ๐ค๐งซโฃ๏ธ“, published at
If you like composing poems, please feel free to participate in the ๐ Collaborative Poetry Challenge โ๐ป. The detail on how to do so can be found in the post. So far, six excellent poems have been accepted and featured stylishly in the said post.
Even if making poetry is not your cup of tea, I am still keen to know your thoughts and feedback after your reading the special post about humanity and artificial intelligence. Thank you in anticipation.
Yours sincerely,
SoundEagle