Friday, December 17, 2021

THE OWL

 

The owl swiveled its head

and looked at me

from the shelf inside the cabin

in the light of my flashlight.

A small owl from the woods

had come in the window

while I was gone.

I grabbed a down filled jacket

and cast it around the bird's body,

picking it up and carrying it out to the porch.

It didn't struggle

or try to bite me.  I could feel

how light it was, the down

of its small bony body

and its hot featheredness.

I could feel the swiveling of its head

and the beating of its owl's heart.

Then I tossed it up in a motion

that seemed to go right to my toes,

I felt I could fly from the porch

as the owl took off, its wings spreading

into something large as an overcoat,

pulling me out of myself

so I could fly

for a moment in the dark.