The Cooper's Hawk

As with nature red in tooth and claw,
out from a bush bursts a brash Cooper's hawk,
pitching and swerving, pursuing a bluish blur,
while from a tree full of jays an eruption is heard.
Juvenile plumage betrays his hurried daring,
even as heseems to lose his bearings, assailed
and assaulted by the flock of frantic jays.
But his razor-fine talons and scythe-like beak
evolved to disable the unwary or the weak,
so the hapless prize can be carried away.

poetry

A Cardinal Lies by the Roadside, Dead

A cardinal lies by the roadside, dead:
a male with plumage brightly red. Now
no more tales to tell through his song,
no singular singing among the throng.
From beak to tail rests his delicate frame;
nothing is missing, every feather remains.
His figure is here - but his life is gone.









poetry