Peter Dunne
Nothing pious about the vulture
at the roadside where I stopped my car
to watch its wrinkled red head pluck
at bloody guts. It eyed me and hissed,
then dragged its meal behind a bush.
Wasted effort—I’m not fond of gopher.
Observe a vulture’s six-foot wingspread
riding the thermals, but consider
fifteen shaggy mounds roosting high
every night in the maples.
I have eight children, Maggie said.
Those birds better keep their distance.
© Nancy Scott
She resides in New Jersey, USA, www.nancyscott.net
