Life Cycle of a Hawk
my house is ready for you
to beat your wings against its cage
having fashioned from closeness
a diving perch, having fed you
choice bits–frightened hearts
and still-warm lungs
now like the brilliant fur
at the edge of redness
learning to hunt will separate us
it will be clean, this leaving
once I learn I’ve lost you
I’ll lose you in a new way
published in Epiphany, Winter 2022