Birds of Prey

How I adore thee silent assassin,
Soundlessly swooping from heaven so high.
Blur of feather, fleeting shadow of pain.
Dispensing death wherever you fly.

How I admire thee hovering hawk,
Executing justice, so cold, so hard.
Swiftly you pounce without a sound or squawk.
For innocents below, death the reward.

In glorious gorge I follow thy flight.
From resplendent ravine watch the cruel dance.
Your eyes, sharp as scalpels, even at night.
The victims below hold barely a chance.

Sharp of sight: Swift of wing: Cruel of claw.
Nature’s survivors, you hold me in awe.

-- Georges de Bernard, 2006