the barn owl tears her prey
still kicking
swallows bright segments
twisting to escape
talons
beak
gullet
it's no wonder
fur, bones, teeth, beak, feathers
all parts indigestible
are returned
in dark, slick packages
dropping softly to earth
beneath her feeding place
examine one packet with care
unwind hairs and barbules
reconstruct a night's feasting
a whole but meatless mouse
bloodless bird
toad sucked dry
insect casings still scale-hard
minus the squish inside
imagine the final moment of
small paws in dark soil
a last, fatal dip in the mud
a brush of low boughs
seeming-safe on fleet wings
feel the
lurch
lift
crunch
scream
life abducted
goodness abstracted
bits spit out in bundles
outlines for life stories
of no great consequence
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