Crow at Dawn
cocks a black pearl
to the impending light
folds his wings over a hole
in the canopy of trees
binds the fabric of his cloak
tighter to the earth
collects the glitter of stars
the barking of dogs
the crawling of grubs
the screams of doomed
fowl in his throat
whets his beak
along the scaled branch
until it is sharp
as the wind on the edge
of his feathers
spreads the remnants
of his wings and drops
across the valley
disappearing
in the umbra
of rain
From The Midwest Quarterly Volume XLIV, No. 1, Autumn 2002
“Crow at Dawn” was published early in my writing efforts after initial rejection. It meant a great deal that TMQ Poetry Editor Stephen Meats took time in a handwritten note to praise the poem and offer suggestions, along with an invitation to resubmit post-edit. I still have his penciled encouragement, but sadly, the suggested edits and corrections were lost to time. I can only imagine how many other writers he influenced over the years. I owe him, and all teachers, editors, and reviewers, a tremendous debt of gratitude.
What Inspires You
I took a 19-year writing/publishing hiatus between graduate work and retirement. As I transitioned from gainful employment to a life of hedonism (aka laundry and poetry), I revisited the books I’d stacked in dusty piles, ordered back issues of Best American Poetry, subscribed to Poem-a-Day and The Poetry Foundation, and read the myriad excellent online journals now available. The biggest help is being able to take the time to read, write, and edit, edit, edit, edit, edit.
Bio
Sean Whalen is a retired health and safety professional from Pilot Mound, Iowa. He received his MA from Iowa State in Creative Writing. Early poems were published in Flyway, Midwest Quarterly, Mid-American Review, Grasslands Review, Plainsongs, and others. Recent poems have appeared in Smoky Blue, Unbroken, New Feathers, Thimble, Gyroscope Review, Songs of Eretz, Canary, Men Matters On-line Journal, Naugatuck River Review (semifinalist – narrative contest), and others, and are forthcoming in Eastern Iowa Review, Floating Acorn, Chiron, Last Leaves, and the inaugural issue of Flowers of the Field.
Find the Spring 2026 Issue HERE
Previous NPM 2026 poets
| April 1 | Amy Forstadt |
| April 2 | Annette Sisson |
| April 3 | Beth Kanell |
| April 4 | Bonnie Proudfoot |
| April 5 | Charles Stringer |
| April 6 | D. Dina Friedman |
| April 7 | David Colodney |
| April 8 | Deanna Ludwin |
| April 9 | Eileen Pettycrew |
| April 10 | Felice Alexandra |
| April 11 | Grace Massey |
| April 12 | Hallie Fogarty |
| April 13 | Isabel Cristina Legarda |
| April 14 | Jon Yungkans |
| April 15 | Kim Welliver |
| April 16 | Laura Foley |
| April 17 | Laurie Kuntz |
| April 18 | Marissa Glover |
| April 19 | Michelle McMillan-Holifield |
| April 20 | Miriam Sagan |
| April 21 | Roy Mason |
| April 22 | Sarah Banks |
| April 23 | Sean Whalen |