not plain to the eye as far as you or I can see
but plainly free to be seen
by eyes keen of the hawk
across the field and up the
tree
perception has levels, we quickly conclude
proudly
and out of thin air
deducing
and upon the virtues of specialization
a tangent is unwittingly
embraced
and so forth into
the complexities
we only think we understand
but really don’t
his body bobs smoothly as the branch
of the tree waivers just so
on a breeze implied
but his gaze is fixed
we agree upon a rodent at first, then address specificity
surmising from the grass
dangling from a talon
a mouse
and that’s when, like a reflex, from the tree he dropped
a flash of wings and
his broad tail fanning
out
there was a moment when we were
both aware of
each other’s gasp &
the breath held as the suspense
played out
then back to the perch in a bound
settling in and smoothing feathers before
with three quick snips
consuming our
confirmation