steely stillness

May 10 - 14 Week 5/72

frost-tinged air left over from

a clear, star-filled night lingers

while on the willow, still as stone,

sits a young red-tailed hawk

muscles too cold and stiff to begin a hunt

down below, four barn swallows balance

on the stalks of last year's cattails

steely blue backs facing west

tawny breasts welcoming

the warmth of the rising sun

a deep stillness hangs in the air

no long swoops, skimming or

daredevil dives until a warmed updraft

persuades them to push off

leaving anemones and a solitary

snail to bask on their own