Predator Visions

Fringe-winged hawks float on the arm air currents, swooping
And darting as they circle above me like carnivorous kites.

An albino deer startles my eyes with its uncamouflaged beauty in
The gray, brown and green of the forest, keeping its ears uneasily
Alert for the attention it attracts as it nibbles the foliage
And appears on several mental menus.

In the den of the wolves there are strewn teeth, shed fur, ripped claws
Along with the bones of victims and the memories of fierce ancestors.

At dusk on a path through the woods, when they loom up and startle,
I doubt the innocence of trees and boulders and passing strangers.

Screech owl? Squirrel chatter? Coyote captive? Frightened
Feral children? The noises of the night surround me, the largest
Menace within earshot, snug in my tent in the middle of nowhere,
Just a few miles from the center of somewhere.

Power lines are frozen in their cross-country march, a robotic army
Borrowed from a silly japanese sci-fi thriller, reaching out with
Electrified arms to capture the world, hopefully without noticing me.

In the mirror, grim lines crease my forehead and encircle my mouth,
A graphite colored beard hugs my jawbone, as I bare my teeth,
Then scrub, clip, cloak, zip, buckle, button and prepare to hunt
Armed with suit, tie, briefcase and bad intentions.

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