~NORMAN MINNICK~

FOR A WOUNDED HAWK

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Wounded in a tussle
with a great horned owl
the red-tailed hawk,
now held in a cage
in the woods––a cruelty
beyond measure––even
though it wouldn’t last long
on our side of the bars,
glares at us with its
black black eye.
It trusts no one,
especially those like us
who admire birds
only for their beauty,
those who have never killed
for the smell
of warm blood.

© by Norman Minnick