Hawk and Merlin

 
The hungry old hawk
Roosting in the woods on an empty belly
Chased away from the meadow by too many crows
A tangle of tree limbs and under brush
Scolded by barred owls

That next morning
Daring to venture out to the meadow’s edge
Hoping to pounce upon a tender young cottontail
Or at least a meadow vole, unaware
Black down drifting

Two dead crows
The other four were nowhere in sight
Black down still drifting in the slight breeze
In the same tree at the meadow’s edge
A merlin perched

Shrill greetings
Passed between the two birds of prey
This wild meadow scene leaves little to the imagination
Bothersome crows and one who hunts on the wing
Dispatched in short order

Thanking the merlin
“A hawk could starve because of those knaves”
Keen eyes patiently watching warblers feeding down below
The merlin suggested to the hungry hawk
“Go eat crow”

Rabbit over crow
Gorged on cottontail, he again thanked the merlin
Only she was roosting, sleeping off her meal of warblers
Unaware of the huge king snake’s slithering ascent
Hawk talons

Death throes
Slow to die, writhing beside the tree trunk
Quite ruffled, the small falcon awakes to this commotion
Alive, alert and not in the belly of a snake
Favor returned