A shadow is floating through the moonlight.
Its wings donÕt make a sound.
Its claws are long, its beak is bright.
Its eyes try all the corners of the night.
It calls and calls: all the air
swells and heaves
And washes up and down like water.
The ear that listens to the owl[NS1] believes
In death. The bat beneath the eaves[NS2],
The mouse beside the stone are still as death[NS3]Ñ
The owlÕs air washes them like water.
The owl goes back and forth inside the night,
And the night holds its breath.
ÑRandall Jarrell
KEY: Lavender = Alliteration
Red = Simile
Blue = Personification
Green = Hyperbole
QUESTIONS:
1.What kind of bird is the bird of night?
2A & 2B. How do the other animals feel about the owl? Find two lines that give you the answer.