Last Beat
by Anita Larson Friedenberg
Black wings bat wind Crows swallow the sky A diagonal slice Feathers afire Skyline falling in halves.
There's not enough flannel To cover the wound Gaping, jagged-edged A gray haunting hole Polygonal
Too imperfect to mend Hope dwindling with days Dry-mouthed murmur City heart torn from the breast On the diastolic beat
Still - beneath searing ash Songbirds silent and white.
c2001Anita Larson Friedenberg |