Escape of the Night Owl

A thrilling haul to the waterhole His chronic thirst to quench In his favourite crystal bowl The herd enjoying the cooling of the splash Caught head down Couldn’t see what was to come next Relaxing his high alert The hooded shadow swooped down Owning the skies like a dark cloud Surveying the land on a glide Silent as a pocket of air Screening below for remote subtleties On the prowl For the night owl A crash landing - a crush so foul A high five of sharp claws A chilling howl so fowl A half prayer – choking on fear Owing to his piercing eyes The end in a flash on a pendulum swing Under the shade of a guillotine Of bloodlust and flesh tearing fest Of escaping the savouring of one’s own gorge In the brutal setting of the killing ground To live to tell the tale Of the fluff of his feathery tail Slipping from the clutches of death The scent of his life choking breath