migrators raptors
heading to south to warm up ~
in autumn, we see
raptors, raptors, birds of prey
hawk, eagle, owls, vultures dark and gray
with your sharp talons and hooked beaks
related to dinosaurs before the Greeks
raptors, raptors, birds of prey
hunting up close and far away
with a fast dive you make me cringe and duck.
Here they come. I must say f...
A broken wing
in death’s chicane
Where pigeons fall
unending pain
A blinded flock
to circle down
As fangs await
both wolves and hounds
While far above
a falcon stalks
Vision prescient
it never balks
A broken wing
once clipped in fear
the raptors chase
—with canids near
(The New Room: October, 2023)
hunting and circling for prey
the moonlight reflects ~
wispy winged moving shadows
loud screeches echo
winds howl as tree leaves rustle ~
rough water dances in tune
an eagle soars in circles
dive bombs into rough water ~
proud prey prize displayed
12/14/22
Contest: Triple New CharlieKu Poetry Contest
Sponsor: Charlies Messina
(757 577 775, Syllables checked with howmanysyllables)
Stunned I stare from a rocky shore
As eagle architects swoop and soar.
Avian aerobats stretch my mind.
Carving arcs in cerulean air
Building an aerial cathedral
Framing clear high walls across the sky
With headlong three-sixties upside down
Form gothic spandrels toward the ground
Flickering feathers turned them around
Racing sunward as a fleur de lis
In a uniting swirl upward bound,
Forming a pole for staffing a cross
Construction stopped at the sight of fish.
As if their cathedral struck the sea
Eagles spun in tsunamic circles
Diving for salmon they taloned tight
Flying swiftly off, soon beyond sight.
I shrugged, amazed by what raptors do.
Jet jockeys may but sigh and admire
Eagles flight gift with dreamy desire.
The child sees blue skies
Raptors spread their wings nearby
His little heart cries
#1
bats swarm from their caves
flying bugs are swept from sky
raptors of the air
#2
rain puddles on lawn
robin cocks his head slightly
earthworms heard not seen
#3
gulls attack shallows
survival of the lucky
caviar du jour
Long Tooth
July 7, 2016
The
sun
was
shining,
when
the
raptors
flew
across
the
sky.
As
blue
as
water
in
the
carribean.
They
flap
and
squawk.
As
they
were
chasing
a
white
pigeon
to
a
mahogany
tree.
They
were
hungry
Like
a
wolf.
And
eager
to
grab
it.
In
certain
might.
Helplessly
it
stood
on
a
branch.
Before
the
tugging
and
tearing,
the
pigeon
got
a
chance
and
escaped.
The raptors squawk instead of talk
Across the city bridge
Their screeches carry on the wind
To ears they want to reach
They hop like birds with heads that bob
Converging with their friends
They compare scraps
That they have tapped
On gestures they portend
A daily dose of basic smack
And a hostel is their aim
Finding punters to comply
Is the object of the game
“Try’n to find a hostel
To get into tonight”
Is the line they use to get the
Price of the daily dose that’s right
They’re not the same as human folk
Who go about their day
The raptors are a different kind
For whom we ought to pray
Think of them as you and me
With a different take on life
Everyone has their own way
To snort the deals of strife
The Dromaeosaurs
Thought of tennis as a chore
Football liked more
By Robb A. Kopp
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