Life

I heard a loud noise against the window of my mothers room. I went to investigate, and there in the bushes was a beautiful hawk that was brown with white specks, and yellow eyes. It started plucking feathers from itself and I wanted to rush out and help it because I thought it was hurt. The hawk looked up at me and I caught a glimpse of a sparrow in it’s talons. I realized that the look the hawk had given me was a hungry one. The hawk savagely continued to rip the wings and feathers from the sparrow. At first I was shocked. But then I remembered that hawks are carnivores and that is the only way for them to survive. As I write this, I am shaking, and thinking that our lives are not so different.

I returned to the window, and as if it was waiting for me, the hawk was there. It gave me a brief look that seemed almost disdainful and flew into a near by tree. I looked at the remains of the sparrow that he had devoured in less than two minutes. All that was left was a scattering of feathers. The hawk had done it’s job well, I couldn’t even see a drop of blood on the snow. The sparrow was gone without a trace except for it’s feathers which will soon blow away and possibly be discovered by a child who will put it in a secret place for keeping and then it will be forgotten. Someday, I to will forget the sparrow whose life was taken to feed the hawk. But if I had found the hawk dying, would I not try to help it. I had at first had fellow feeling for the hawk when I thought it was hurting itself, and when I found out what it was truly doing, then I felt sorry for the sparrow. But no matter what, at some time I felt sorry for both creatures of the air. How the tide turns.

What I’m trying to say is that in life, at some time we care for our enemies. I would hate for that beautiful hawk to die, and I was sad that the sparrow had to sacrifice itself so that the hawk could live. It just kind of makes you think…

I'm not really looking for critique, I just wanted to put this out there to see what people think. Also, please note that this post was for the most part written while I was watching the hawk, the second paragraph was written after I had taken time off of looking at the hawk to write the first paragraph. Life is savage and brutal but also beautiful, often at the same time.

Comments & reviews · 5
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User avatar
RebellionLies
Comment

That's the circle of life, but I've never thought of it in such a perspective.

User avatar
asxz
Review
asxz wrote a review · Thu Feb 05, 2009 11:44 pm

that was cool I wish that I could see something like that. i don't mean to sound insensitive to the sparrow, as I do feel sorry that It had to die because of a hawk ripping it to shreds, but I would have given anything to see that!
I'm fascinated by the social structure of animals, and how they eat, sleep... how do birds sleep standing up like that? Anyway, I want to take biology when i can.
It's so sad that the bird had to die!

User avatar
WaterVyper
Review

This was a beautiful piece. I know exactly what you mean. Such beautiful symbolism here. Well, I spotted something, though you didn't want a critique.

my mothers room.


That should be mother's.

The sparrow was gone without a trace except for it’s feathers which will soon blow away and possibly be discovered by a child who will put it in a secret place for keeping and then it will be forgotten.


This seems like a run on sentence. Maybe you could put the part about the child in a different sentence.

Well, that's it. This was, to use a quote from your piece, beautifully savage. This was an amazing sight to behold, and you've done it well. I hope to see more from you. Thank you for a great piece, writingmouse. I'll be seeing you.

User avatar
writingmouse_13
Comment

Thank you, I'm glad you liked it. I realize I made some mistakes, but my excuse for that is that I had just written it and stupidly forgot to edit it myself first. Oh well, I've learned from my mistakes, and next time I'll do better. Thank you.

User avatar
Linx
Review
Linx wrote a review · Fri Jan 16, 2009 10:53 pm

I liked this a lot. I get what you mean here. That's also amazing that you got to see something like that.

It was well written too. I hope you don't mind if I point out a couple of things.

I went to investigate, and there in the bushes was a beautiful hawk that was brown with white specks, and yellow eyes.

Good description here, but it is a long sentence. Putting the description of the hawk in a seperate sentence would help make it sound better.

As I write this, I am shaking, and thinking that our lives are not so different.

You don't need that second comma there.

But if I had found the hawk dying, would I not try to help it.

Are you saying that as a question or a coment? That is a bit confusing there.

Again, I thought it was well written. I also thought the actual moral behind the post was good too.

Good job! :D



The human heart has hidden treasures, in secret kept, in silence sealed...
— Charlotte Bronte