I Shed a Tear

I’ve heard you cry,

wail to night’s deaf stars pierce 

its callous breast demand

stolen blood to spill onto cleared land and

wash away trampled eggs breeding broken lineage

You cried with a soul-clenching sorrow that 

dives deep swerving plummeting colliding

for the left-behind for the un-belonging dared to

kill a species fading into

absence at night’s neglect

I heard your silent fall

as your gingerly-painted neck made its final bow

Elegant, willowy creature – nature

will mourn your loss, will we?

Cascading feathers align on your back

will you fear death as we stab you there?

You may wonder, bush-stone curlew

who will cry for you

If, when your dying kin make their final cry

anyone will shed a tear