sharp
beak
glass

BANG BANG BANG

— world changed —

fly to another place crow

do you think the dead
rise – a second coming?

crow bangs the gavel

NO NO NO

guilty

no need to understand
crow beats
fury
at unacknowledged
or even unknown

wound / hurts / crow
crow persists

ruin / wreck / loss
caw caw caw

crow bows
body and will
nature and spirit
raucous

caw caw caw

feel death cinder the heart
hear grief caught in the throat
moan sing groan
are you answered crow?

crow leaves

spittle marks my window
I am surprised
by tongue’s inquiry
within the business of the beak

I put my nose to angry residue
hoping for scent
to mark me

here here here
the stab
the blood
the beast

Poem: Jo Mariner / Photograph: “Spittle Marks My Window” taken by Jo Mariner