Acceptable Loss
Bf8-c5
The raptor’s gaze
is a coiled spring.
Circles tighten
within circles,
turn upon turn.
The center of the plain
becomes tall grass
bending behind
a spotted rock,
becomes a rabbit
heart racing
in rhythm
to its steps,
distance sacrificed
in swift descent.
The center recoils
beneath talon
beneath claw
beneath blood-
dimmed meat.
Bf8-c5
The raptor’s gaze
is a coiled spring.
Circles tighten
within circles,
turn upon turn.
The center of the plain
becomes tall grass
bending behind
a spotted rock,
becomes a rabbit
heart racing
in rhythm
to its steps,
distance sacrificed
in swift descent.
The center recoils
beneath talon
beneath claw
beneath blood-
dimmed meat.
The secret of poetry is cruelty.--Jon Anderson