Peregrine
a free verse poem
She sits on the wood slatted seat
by brutal pillars of concrete
she sits quietly
dreaming to see
a green valley
a stream,
a tree.
a peregrine screams
interrupts her dreams
swooping from a brutal tower
as if it were from an ancient cliff
she looks up
and watches the bird in flight
against sky and sunlight
concrete towers
stand tall
and she sits still
and listens
to a waterfall
—Lesley Scoble, September 2026
One day, sitting by the Barbican lakeside and listening to the waterfalls and dancing fountains, I hear the distinctive call of a peregrine. I look up and quickly snap this photo with my pocket camera.
Peregrine Chicks
Here are a couple of shots taken on my Canon PowerShot, zoomed in on two peregrine chicks. The images may be poor in resolution, but they still excite me when I think that this magnificent bird, once on the brink of extinction, has returned to thrive among the towering cliffs and skyscrapers of the City of London.
#Whatdoyousee #358
This week’s #WDYS #358 photo prompt inspired my poem about the peregrine. I’m convinced that Barney Goodman’s photograph is set in the Barbican, an area of London I know well. The world’s fastest animal has made a home among its concrete cliffs, and whenever I hear its call I look up, hoping to catch one of its dramatic sweeps around the Brutalist towers.
Credits
Thank you, Sadje, for your inspirational #WDYS prompt.
Photo Prompt image by Barney Goodman
Photos: Peregrine Falcon Flies over the Barbican and Chicks on a Barbican Balcony©️Lesley Scoble
Featured image: Peregrine Falcon in flight | Digital 6b pencil©️Lesley Scoble
And thank you, dear reader, for stopping by.
Leave a comment