It ascended in the twilight, even as I dropped
down the winding roadway, and teased a view-
blinking between the trees, a bit higher now.
At one point I even stopped
the car roadside to stare. This moon, in full flower
this playful, this passionate
orb raced away and my mind raced after it,
chasing its reflection off a distant reservoir.
Around next curve there stood two
massive owls in the roadway –
partners sharing their prey.
One owl lept immediately and flew;
the other turned and stared a moment into the light
and was struck full-force.
I shuddered and I gasped
as it tumbled under the car and out of sight.
This was a different grieving.
I knew the owl did not seek
my apology, nor begrudge my mistake.
It did not miss this world nor mourn its leaving.
Still this was a sin of carelessness,
the destruction of such a creature. And I knew it.
As I drove I knew it, though it meant nothing to know it.
I erred. It’s gone. Both facts meaningless.
The hot memory cooled as I drove on.
My black road cut a slot canyon beneath the pines.
The moon had reached its zenith then, and shone
down on every thing, directly down.
-B Taylor, July 5 2024