The Crow
A fool once caught a crow
That flew too near even for his stone’s throw.
Alone beneath a tree
He examined the black flier
And found upon its sides
Two little black doors.
He opened both of them.
He expected to see into
Perhaps a little kitchen
With a stove, a chair,
A table and a dish
Upon that table.
But he only learned that crows
Know a better use for doors than to close
And open, and close and open
Into dreary, dull rooms.
James Reaney, 1949
![](https://jamesreaney.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/JRcrow011-225x300.jpg)
“The Crow” is from The Red Heart (1949), James Reaney‘s first book of poems.
o ) ) ) Listen to James Reaney read the poem here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2nJNfBkskU
![](https://jamesreaney.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/sixpoets-1.jpg)