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Creek Running North

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February 14, 2006

Birding

At Van Ness and Green
a red-tail dives for pigeons
in a Chinese elm. He misses.
The branch is slender, and threatens
to launch him off toward Gough Street.
On his face, failed hawk regret

The light turns green:
slow, sullen wings beat toward the Wharf.

At the corner of Greenwich
two dozen crows mob a parapet.
Geese cross the Golden Gate athwart the bridge.

I used to drive the Richmond Bridge mid-day
and brown pelicans
sailed above the water
or evening, a silver salmon sky
and cormorants stretched arms
on pilings.

At my desk one day a feather
floated slow to earth outside the glass
and then another.
The third, I saw, had meat attached.
A falcon on the power pole.
It turned one yellow-rimmed eye toward us.
We knelt to watch it eat.

Posted by Chris Clarke at February 14, 2006 09:36 PM TrackBack URL for this entry:
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Comments

This is such a welcome respite from all the current talk of shooting birds pen-raised and otherwise.

Posted by: eRobin at February 15, 2006 08:12 AM