A Hawk and a Mouse

A Hawk and a Mouse

In flight and soaring,

A hawk swirls,

Effortless it seems,

Sunbeams,

Streams of winter light,

Oddly angled,

Yet, brilliant enough to illuminate,

The brown and withered leaves,

Left upon the lowly trees,

And, taller ones quite barren now,

A majestic scene,

A twiggy fabric,

Brown except for bits of blue,

Some sky that taller trees let through,

Now brilliant red upon a bush,

A cardinal draws my eye,

Away from nesting “girl” nearby,

Our hawk,

So, silent,

Vigilant,

Slowly paces,

He places himself,

At the edge of the branch,

He soars,

Now down upon the distant shore,

Across the icy pond,

Some pile of leaves,

Are thrown,

He missed,

He flies away,

A lucky mouse lives one more day!

Peter Lowell Paulson

January 20, 2015