INSTINCT WITNESS
I’m watching her watch
the hawk tearing and tucking
in at the ball of mauled mouse
atop the lamppost jutting
from the surrogate tree hung
with wires that nevertheless
sway clear of the predator
as it takes care of born business
and she does of hers—device
in hand—aiming it in the air—
capturing the great winged beast
a little better than those wires
slung loose for our low use.
John Zedolik of Pennsylvania taught English and Latin in a private school for thirteen years. Eventually, he wrote a dissertation that focused on the pragmatic comedy of the Canterbury Tales, thereby completing his Ph.D. in English. His iPhone is now his primary poetry notebook, and he hopes his use of technology in regard to this ancient art form continues to be fruitful.