I saw a hawk, perched on a fence

Among the hoarfrost-dusted grass

And branches of the morning yard

It stared — I, curious.

A ruffling wind (The wish to fly

Those feathers red, that baleful eye?)

You shifted on your perch, and I

Moved reciprocally.

We stayed a moment, glancing swift

At one each other, strange and new

You shifted soft-lined wings and flew

I watched you through the clouds.

You leap and fly, with yellow eyes

With fear and hunger curdling slow

(To hunt) to kill and eat you go

Past city-risen walls.

Stream-winding mountains, hills that rise

In the frozen-glistering haze

The wind shifts wheeling, a surmise

That draws you past my gaze.

Where are you now? I do not know

The trails of the wind and snow

You follow are unknown to me

But still, I search the sky.

You may be wheeling high above

The forests green or red or bare

Or yet the mountains you may love

The lichen, stones, and frigid air.

I’m not content to leave you be

Your predatory mystery

I strive to find your majesty

I remain, searching still.

I saw a hawk, perched on a fence

Among the hoarfrost-dusted grass

And branches of the morning yard

I haven’t seen it since.