Landscaping Survival

Early morning, the owl cries
three notes of song
as coyotes fight, feast
on a rabbit. The hind legs
most tender.

Nearly freezing, the owl cries
three notes of song
as I haggle
with an ancient woman

over a shrub, the right to squeeze
blood from its sanguine fruit,
my wineskin collapsed.

Barely dark, the owl cries
three notes of song.
He knows

who last licked the bone
who lights the flame at dawn
who holds enough life
to bleed still
if pricked by thorn or quill.

Blue down and Juniper
falling in my hair ---
the owl cries
three notes of song.
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Note- The haunting painting is called, "Minerva" by artist, Lynette Shelley, featured at The Art Rising Gallery.