Birdie

Frequent scatterings of little birds,
snow buntings or horned larks, and
hawks at sporadic intervals on posts,

also northern harriers, or hen harriers
you might say, over the snowy fields.
Some people believe seeing a harrier

perched on a house is a sign that
three people will die; on a happier note,
some Native American tribes believe

seeing a hawk on your wedding day
is a sign of a long, happy marriage.
I cannot say, Birdie, why they make me

think of you, something about your
face or is it just the way love drifts
on winter winds with white wings

like it is made out of loneliness,
feathered with the self-same snow
it flies above, and I cannot tell

from day to day if I am the car
speeding down the icy road
or the field mouse just beyond

the grasp of your talons, but I hope
for the latter, that I can feed you
with my four limbs and pounding heart.