Running as fast as I can
heart pounding
I can feel his wings beating
by the wind swirling around me
my lynx instincts are alive
as I try to escape this hungry bird
but I’m no match for his cunning
speed or strength

My breath rasping and out of energy
I know I’ve lost this race
as his claws slice through my body
I am his to devour
hidden wide eyes peer
through leaves and branches
at the raptor who tears me apart
with wild abandon

They watch as his razor sharp beak
pierces my chest and rips out my heart
tearing it to pieces between beak and talons
only to drop it on the ground
unwanted

Watchful hidden eyes stare at the bird
as he takes to the sky with his prize
carrying what’s left of me away
gripped in talons to his feeding place
and they gaze at my heart in tatters on the ground

Spring turns to Summer
days of blistering heat that dry everything
turning my heart into dust
that disintegrates into the soil
Summer turns to Autumn
this place of dying lies buried
under brightly colored layers

Next comes Winter
with its punishing winds
and blankets of snow
freezing the ground
hardening the tiny pieces
of my heart

The raptor continues
his never ending obsession of the hunt
year in and year out
though now he's after much younger
more tender prey
completely oblivious that
a gentle sparrow dropped seeds
that got stuck to his tiny feet
as he fed amongst the grass and violets
and landed where I died

But in the pounding rain
these seeds sank into the ground
and were fertilized by the shredded remains
of my unwanted heart torn apart
so that one warm sunny day
slowly through the lush green grass
beautiful deep purple violets burst forth
that sway gently in the wind
making beauty out of devastation