Standing on the broken cement of the back porch
silently staring into the skies
and talking to myself 
 
Fingers struggling to keep appearances 
windshield wipers across my cheek
watercolors gone white
 
Flippant, fanatical, furious
patient, protective, passionate
trying to love the beast
 
Sending dreams to the clean ears of the open air  
returned quickly, clutched in your mouth, crushed
presented for reward
 
Dead birds delivered to my doorstep 
my nature wants to heal them, bury them
yours waits and wags its tail