Winter Hawk

Sarah Russell

He holds vigil in a ravaged tree,

his fields, once tall with corn,
now snow-tipped stubble.

He accepts the unforgiving wind,
the cold, thin light – not wishing
for tomorrow or warmth or spring –
alive only in what is.

I close my eyes, clear my mind
of stubble in my own fields,
gather Now around me like feathers,
like breath.

When I look again, he rises
on fierce, decisive wings –
his crimson tail as brilliant in the January sky
as truth.

 Sarah Russell
First published in Prey Tell

9 thoughts on “Winter Hawk”

  2. So beautiful. All my winter poems display my own dislike for the season. I’m no hawk, but you made me appreciate this one. Alarie

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