David Leo (b. 1948)
SELECTED POEMS
Death of a Pigeon
beneath the red maple for what's best
of equanimity, i shall lay it to restif you come by, do not forget
a daisy for the moundthe guilt as you might suggest
never mine to ingest
nor regret
mine to own(so you say)
no cause for commiseration
but for misplaced compassion
this bird isn't the first
nor the last shall beyet if tomorrow you tell me
you see
a bird soaring with new wings
i'd swear there's a heaven belowhave i not seen—
a dragonfly upon a log imitating life
a moth peacefully as it goes
relieved of strife—to know
this heavy thud of flurried feathers
this senseless violent passing
tells a different tale
of cruel deception
aberration beyond the paleyet if they're not made to see
straight ahead
(surely you must agree)
nor are they made alas to fly
into glass instead
by David Leo
from The Secret Life of a Dragonfly (2024)
