mid-night
in last week’s storm
hundreds of duckscrowded
the curve of ice
along the riverlow muttering
a whisper
of wings in water
everything quiet
heavy with snow
this morningbroken ice
covered with crows
lifting their wingsin dissension
if you were here
i would tell youmy life over
a meal perhaps
pad thai or chileverde some too-
bright too-loud
restaurant youpassing through
and i pale lost
days at a timei dream
a magician
makes thingsappear, then vanish
the kestrel takes
sparrows every dayfrom the garden
and now
a red-tailed hawktakes another
my neck has fallen
breasts bellyirresistibly attracted
to earth and i find it
no consolation thatthis attraction
is mutual that
this groundrises to meet my foot
the sky still black
the dogs stillsleeping and a hand
to the window-pane
pulls back chilled
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