Names May Be Misleading

 

Red hawk

sacred to some native tribes

symbol of farsightedness

silhouetted against a grey skyline

on top of a Central Park plane tree

overlooking the 96^th x CPW subway station

majestic and still

hanging from its talons a pigeon

struggling

dying

slowly

the red hawk unconcerned

the passerbys beneath the drama unaware

perhaps it is Pale Male

or one of his heirs

favored by city dwellers

a symbol of the natural wildness snuggled

within concrete barriers

eroded by nature’s sheer force

of Superstorm Sandy

another named phenomena

erased human error

nonbelievers of climate change

the ocean surge reminds us

that innocuous naming

does not contain

natural power

we are mere

visitors.