Tristia

This is a poem from Carmen Bugan's recent collection, Tristia.

***

Hawk

I went out to look at him—

An apparition with great wings

Glowing in the light of morning,

Scanning below the spring tree line.

I returned inside and drank my tea

Without losing sight of him.

The orioles put on alarm calls,

Mockingbirds attacked him,

He now cleans his feathers, unperturbed,

At the very top of the tallest tree.

I think about my deadlines

And the morning sliding by,

But he watches my garden

From way up there.

I am hooked on him

Against the flawless sky

With flowering trees below,

Time pulls the two of us along,

In the bright, fresh morning.

Under him, such a tiny tree branch

Sustains unbearable weight,

Fragility seems only an illusion.

Hawk, take everything that is weak in me

In your claws: eat it.

Leave me wise and patient.

It’s been nearly two hours since

You appeared, and straightened me

From the spine up, eyes on you.

***

You can learn more about Carmen and her writing here.