WRITINGS
The Gathering of Ravens by
Cynthia West
Pieces of the night with wings, where they fly the darkness shines blue. They fill every tree. The hills provide bleachers for thousands. Wild cawing dissects the wind, stitches it back into new patterns. They gather from every direction, inking the sky with meaning. As I pass, they startle, weaving me into their black water. Shadows that open mountains, that lift the naked willows, their indigo cries predict more than the coming of snow.
“The Gathering of Ravens� is from In the Center of the Field (Sunstone Press, $16.95). West, known for painting, poetry, photography, digital imaging, and book arts is the author of four other collections of poetry: For Beauty Way, 1,000 Stone Buddhas, Rainbringer, and The New Sun. www.westvision.us
70 | THE magazine
| j ul y 2012