Litsa Dremousis
Finches
On my deck
a hawk swoops down
and grabs a finch
in its talons, a cruel and natural
abduction.
I scream:
“NO!”
The hawk leaves.
The finch lives!
I bring it water
and crushed nuts
and breadcrumbs
on a saucer
from my late grandmother.
She always protected me
from hawks and their talons.
Litsa Dremousis (she/her) is the author of Altitude Sickness (Future Tense Books). Seattle Metropolitan Magazine named it one of the all-time “20 Books Every Seattleite Must Read”. The Believer, Bright Flash Literary Review, Esquire, McSweeney’s, NPR, NYMag, NYT, PEN USA, Pangyrus, Pictura Journal, The Rumpus, WaPo, et al.