Wren's Nest

Like at the wren’s nest
Like at rock eagle
Ironies swirl and hearts are twisted taut
Around their pivot points
The stag scrapes his felt on a scrubby dogwood tree
Like at the warm springs
Like at key club
Residuals are what get to one
Reach toxic levels with time
Even the pretty fawn is full of wolf worms in the summer
Oh, so horribly intensely I prayed
Let me evaporate
But the dying autumn leaves are beautiful, too
Like on the flint river
Like at the mica mines
Conversations escalated
Voices trembled and cracked
The barn owl’s white belly is like a flash bulb
Instantly illuminated by a moonbeam
As he swoops silently before us
Toward a fateful meeting in the forest
Oh, so horribly intensely I prayed
Let me evaporate