Poem: The Rising Falcon

I am a bird but not your usual bird
I can fly up in the sky, above the clouds
To dodge the rain
I can escape a deadly storm
I can migrate from harsh weather
I can fish in shallow waters
I have a vision to investigate
I hesitate to eat a rat, it’s not
Too easy to catch but that’s not the point.
I am rising falcon

I wish you to be grounded
To familiarise with yourself
To gain your skills and strength
There is no need to rise, up in the sky
For good and for worse you can’t
Compete with nature for your fun
Preserve your energy for the hard
Times to come and as I know they will
I am a perched falcon

No need to raise an alarm
Give rise to the new
New dawn has come
No need to be down
I was meant to be high
You spent your share
No need to despair
I will share my luck
I am rising falcon

I have seen a lot,
I have been your journey
I have been there before
So, hear me well
No need to rush, to crash
I have lost a lot
Your luck escapes you not
Stick with me, together we can perch.

No need to perch when I can fly
I hear what you say but
I was meant for the high
Through mistakes I learn
I want to forge my own path
I afraid the old belongs to the past
My life could be short but
I am enjoying the ride
Come join me and relax
I am a rising falcon

If you wish, do what you can
But remember old is wise
Though slow, is steady
Focus on the inside
The outside will follow
Heed from the learned others
As you have nothing lose
From the wisdom of the lion
To wait and succeed or
Lesson from the hyena
To run with little and despair
Let’s rise and perch together 

Brief context of the Poem (For the teacher)

• The poem is structured around a conversation between a young falcon (the rising falcon) and an older falcon (the perched falcon)

• The rising falcon is portrayed as: young, inexperienced, fun loving, energetic and less receptive to advice and wishes to figure thing out with no help. Occupies in its own bubble and dismissive of any advice coming its way.

• The perched falcon is portrayed as: balanced, measured, experienced, steady and forward looking. Well aware of the dangers around the sky, and seems to recommends to learn from the mistakes of others in the past, as the young continuous to grow and mature.

• As a result, there is clash between their two perspective and that tension is captured in the poem.

• Wisdom from the lion: A long story but the summary is that its strategy for hunting is effective due to its technical patience and making a calculated right moves for a successful hunt (waits more than it runs).

• Lesson from the hyena: Though not obvious, its depicted as an opposite to the wisdom from the lion. Hyenas run more than they wait for their hunt, and they are less effective.

• The underlying themes of the poem is about its focus on nurturing,discipline, awareness, resilience and character building. 

Abdirashid Ahmed (MSc Education (Research Design and Methodology) (2022)) is a St Cross Scholar. Learn more about him at his profile on the College website.