Feathermucker
by Timothy Otte
poem originally appeared in SAND Journal, issue 11.
( ( ( a cage of ribs pointing
toward the sky. this wingéd
thing : no longer feathered,
hardly flesh. what’s left
is part of the concrete,
part of the native city.
a lump of calcium.
a hard sharp beak half open
a caw, a cry of fear, a sigh.
what creature was this that fell broken
into the gutter, the ditch?
ribs pointing at the sky. let your eyes
follow their arc into
the dark air : you think it’s night
—look closer : bodiless feathers
blocking the sun ) ) )
toward the sky. this wingéd
thing : no longer feathered,
hardly flesh. what’s left
is part of the concrete,
part of the native city.
a lump of calcium.
a hard sharp beak half open
a caw, a cry of fear, a sigh.
what creature was this that fell broken
into the gutter, the ditch?
ribs pointing at the sky. let your eyes
follow their arc into
the dark air : you think it’s night
—look closer : bodiless feathers
blocking the sun ) ) )