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Monica Youn is the author of Blackacre (Graywolf Press, 2016); Barter (Graywolf Press, 2003); and Ignatz (Four Way Books, 2010), which was a finalist for the National Book Award. She is the winner of the 2024 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award in poetry for her book From From.
Parable of the Magpie in the Trap
A certain magpie was caught in a wire-mesh trap.
And the trap was small, and the magpie could not fly, neither could it stretch out its black wings.
And the trap held no food nor did it hold water, and the magpie was hungry and thirsty in the shadowless sun.
And then the hunter came, and the magpie said, Hunter, you should release me from this trap, for I am no food for you, and my meat is stringy and foul in the mouth.
But the hunter put food and water for the magpie in the trap, then the hunter went away.
And then the cold rains came and the wind, and the magpie huddled in the trap, and the magpie could not dry its feathers, nor was there any dry place for the magpie to rest its feet.
And the hunter returned, and the magpie said, Hunter, you should release me from this trap, for you cannot sell my feathers, for my black feathers are not beautiful, and neither are they proof against the wind and rain.
But the hunter placed a stick in the trap as a perch for the magpie, and placed a roof on the trap to shelter the magpie, and then the hunter went away.
And the trap was on the ground, and the coming night was near, and the predators began to wake in the shadow of the woods, and therefore the magpie was afraid.
And the hunter returned, and the magpie said, Hunter, you should release me from this trap, for I am no threat to you, nor do I prey upon your beasts, nor do I feed upon your gardens or your crops.
But the hunter placed a larger trap around the smaller trap and turned to go away.
And the magpie cried, Hunter, you must release me from this trap, for no animal preys on me, so therefore I am not bait for any quarry you might wish to trap and kill.
Now the hunter spoke, and said, Magpie, others will not come for you to eat you; others will come for you to attack you, and to drive you from their lands.
For know now, Magpie, that you are not bait because you are wanted, but you are bait because you are hated, and it is because you are hated that therefore you are valuable to me.
And the magpie cried and said, Hunter, what quarry is it that you take such pains to trap and kill?
And the hunter said, Magpies, and then the hunter went away.
Copyright © 2023 by Monica Youn. Used by permission of the author and Graywolf Press.
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Parable of the Magpie in the Trap
A certain magpie was caught in a wire-mesh trap.
And the trap was small, and the magpie could not fly, neither could it stretch out its black wings.
And the trap held no food nor did it hold water, and the magpie was hungry and thirsty in the shadowless sun.
And then the hunter came, and the magpie said, Hunter, you should release me from this trap, for I am no food for you, and my meat is stringy and foul in the mouth.
But the hunter put food and water for the magpie in the trap, then the hunter went away.
And then the cold rains came and the wind, and the magpie huddled in the trap, and the magpie could not dry its feathers, nor was there any dry place for the magpie to rest its feet.
And the hunter returned, and the magpie said, Hunter, you should release me from this trap, for you cannot sell my feathers, for my black feathers are not beautiful, and neither are they proof against the wind and rain.
But the hunter placed a stick in the trap as a perch for the magpie, and placed a roof on the trap to shelter the magpie, and then the hunter went away.
And the trap was on the ground, and the coming night was near, and the predators began to wake in the shadow of the woods, and therefore the magpie was afraid.
And the hunter returned, and the magpie said, Hunter, you should release me from this trap, for I am no threat to you, nor do I prey upon your beasts, nor do I feed upon your gardens or your crops.
But the hunter placed a larger trap around the smaller trap and turned to go away.
And the magpie cried, Hunter, you must release me from this trap, for no animal preys on me, so therefore I am not bait for any quarry you might wish to trap and kill.
Now the hunter spoke, and said, Magpie, others will not come for you to eat you; others will come for you to attack you, and to drive you from their lands.
For know now, Magpie, that you are not bait because you are wanted, but you are bait because you are hated, and it is because you are hated that therefore you are valuable to me.
And the magpie cried and said, Hunter, what quarry is it that you take such pains to trap and kill?
And the hunter said, Magpies, and then the hunter went away.
Copyright © 2023 by Monica Youn. Used by permission of the author and Graywolf Press.
Subscribe to Cleveland Scene newsletters.
Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
