An Unobstructed View

this time the aging

cooper's hawk is perched

close to the highest limb

of the dead ash

has been at the business of assaying

for more than a few seasons now

motionless at the moment

except for the occasional

pivot of its head

relaxed in its strength

in its clarity against

the blue of the sky

studying the meadow as if

it was a stand-in

for athena's wisdom

waiting

waiting for what it knows

in no time death will file

its next claim against the living