my friend feeds rats to a hawk
rat catchers come to her house
and trap the rats in cages and kill them
then she carries the rat cages to the reservoir
and holds the dead rats up by their tails
for the hawk to swoop down and seize
and miraculously the hawk comes
she is brave to do that I think
so close to a raptor’s heartbeat
to the wing that could put out her eye
or knock her down and I envy her
the joy of that wildness and cherish
the picture of her wind-blown hair and her
standing firm and the hawk approaching