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Why Does Minerva's Owl Soar In the Nocturnal Sky

Rather than the light of the day
why does the owl soar in the darkened night sky?

Does the owl soar in the darkened night sky 
avoiding dazzling daylight because it’s painful 
to watch the terribly misshapen humans 
creeping on the earth to find their place?

Or because it’s so pitiful to watch the ugly disfigured humans 
struggling to embrace one another in order to lessen the pain
in place of the hardship that makes the day?

Otherwise, there would be no reason for the owl to soar 
in the nocturnal air in a time like the exhausted souls roaming 
on the path called oblivion to shake the detestable notions off 
from their weary shoulders that they collected and carrying 
after a day of long and hard labor under the burning sun.

It’s indeed thoughtful of the owl if that is the case, 
but it really a piece of shattered long-cherished desire 
that naive souls hang onto, the other desire that won’t 
be realized as before.

For an opportunity comes in the alley of a difficult life
not only one step behind but visiting after it becomes 
totally useless as always, the noncommittal hour arrives here 
as the owl gets on the sunset glow to the way where a day hurriedly 
moves forward because a day is too short to conclude as a day.

Is that why Minerva’s owl 
soars in the darkening sky that sinks deeper in the night air?



Quote from Hegel, cf: The Owl of Minerva takes flight only as the dusk begins to fall

Copyright © | Year Posted 2015




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