Not fretting about someone armed
with a shotgun taking direct aim
at free speech; not pondering the imminent
demise of democracy—no, just admiring
a big bird of prey on the electric wires
overhead, and not any old raptor,
but rare in these parts a red-shouldered hawk
with prominent black-and-white markings
on its back, staring across the road,
perhaps some quarry in its sights, motionless
until the time to strike, or probably
more like me today, merely thinking about
nothing in particular for a change,
a tranquil moment in the afternoon sun.
Jim Tilley has published four full-length collections of poetry and a novel with Red Hen Press. Five of his poems have been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. His most recent poetry collection, Ripples in the Fabric of the Universe: New & Selected Poems, was published in June 2024.
