by Matilda, Year 8, South New Brighton School
A lone falcon swoops purposely through the broken city. With beady eyes the fearless bird scans in search of food, then dives towards unlucky prey. With talons gripping flesh, the falcon’s thoughts are of dinner.
Back at the nest, little falcon chicks chirp longing for their mother. In a gust of wind, the familiar scent of Mum fills the nest. Food drops from her sharp beak. The small chicks are glad Mum came back and, as they scramble for dinner, their minds are filled with warm bellies.
Leaping out from the nest in pursuit of Mum, is an act of courage and trust. The little chicks gasp desperately for breath. The brave baby birds swoop left and right, up and down. Mum’s strong feathers beat with purpose as if made by a machine.
Mum spots prey and calls out to her chicks. The chicks dive but only some of the little claws grasp flesh. This time, as the falcon mother swoops around, three little chicks follow, with the reminder of dinner safely grasped in one chick's talons.
During Lockdown we ran a number on Zoom Online Master Classes. We will be featuring writing from these classes over the next few weeks.
© Matilda and Write On, 2020