J. R. Solonche
A Hawk with a Broken Wing is a Hawk Broken
A hawk with a broken wing is a hawk broken.
A broken bird.
It gives up the sky for a perch perpetual.
It forgets feathers but remembers what talons are for.
A branch chewed half through by claws is its prey.
A broken hawk hops from low to lower.
A broken hawk jumps from lower to low.
A broken hawk has a broken eye also.
It has a short sky that does not require a hawk’s unbroken eye.
A canopy with no view of the sky is their kindest kindness.
Four-time Pushcart as well as Best of the Net nominee, J.R. Solonche has been publishing in magazines, journals, and anthologies since the early 70s. He is coauthor of Peach Girl: Poems for a Chinese Daughter (Grayson Books) and author of the forthcoming Beautiful Day (Deerbrook Editions).