Lessons From A Hawk Poem by Britney Hogue

Lying to the lush green, earth
The suns warm rays licking my body
I enjoy this overlooked gift of God
This wonderful land and miraculous life
To much to often taken for granted of
By the less observant of this generation

As I lie, eyes closed a shadow flashes above
I lift an eye to see what has block the sun
And above me is the most beautiful creature
A glorious hawk enjoy the earth as I am
I whistle to it as it passes overhead
And it returns the call as if a greeting, a hello

I sit to watch it in its actions of hunting
It swoops to the grassy field feet from me
In lightning flash it’s back in the sky
With a squeaking field mouse in clench talon
It settles a yard in front of me atop a fence post
Balancing on a talon as it feeds from the other.

As I watch from my spot of earth it sees me
It turns its head inquisitively and chirps lowly
I whistle back and lie on my stomach to watch
He continues to eat his lucky catch of the day
His beautiful wings stretch around himself
As if he’s proud of his small accomplishment.

So appreciative creatures aren’t the hawks
Happy for whatever degree of accomplishment
And only taking from this land what is needed
Is it so hard for us to notice his lack of greed?
And his appreciation in the smallest thing in life
Unlike us, the human, greedy and selfish