I am a raven
glossy and black,
stark against
the faded denim
of early morning.
You have not
arrived yet,
my eyes search
for you like
busy ants in
a hot sun,
but you are
not here.

I hop on my
branch, settling
my wings in
agitation.
I caw and
caw again,
soliciting no
response from
the quiet blue
morning.

Then as suddenly
as I can blink
a shiny black
eye, you are
there. You
are beautiful
in the cold, in
your haste,
in your intro-
spection. I
cackle contentedly
to myself.

Hopping to the
end of the
branch, my beady
eyes follow
you. Another
hop and I take wing.
You become but
a speck, miles
below, I am
still with you,
your silent companion
your airy shadow.

I watch because
I am entranced,
(I am easily
bought by the pretty
and the shiny)
my eyes are
slave to your
form, but if
I am revealed
I could not
bear the loss.

Ravens are
solitary, we
observe from afar,
cool and silent
I watch your
life go by.

AcB 11.2.99