Sidewalk Offering
by L.M. Vail
Not far from here lay a snowy owl
belly up on the concrete
great wings spread in exaltation.
Why so angry? it seemed to ask me.
The light has left me I replied.
We are all beautiful and violent, at times
said this perfect dead thing
silent and still and winged.
Lay down your rage beside me.
And I did.
LM Vail (they/them) is a neuroqueer writer and filmmaker whose short film poems have been screened at the Rochester Art Center and Weisman Art Museum. They work as a medical device packaging engineer in St. Paul, Minnesota, where they live with their wife and daughter. Their work can be found in Two Thirds North.