Brawlers

Brawlers

by Debra Girard on Monday, June 13, 2011 at 9:57pm

I live facing the alley

a  bougainvillea  -lovely insignificant papery flowers

that rarely bloom, but provide 

a tiny sense of privacy

even, dare I say

"security"

and sometimes even some color.

The sparrows enjoy their territorial noisemaking

exclaiming- exclaiming- exclaiming.

I didn't notice this before, but right now there is dead silence.

I hear a large battle going on near the gate

a brawl is once again taking place

I grab the phone.  The brawlers are suddenly quiet

feathers spill out from one of the bushes

 a tiny hawk emerges, waddling sideways

with its talons clutching its prey

A Cooper's?  Half the size of it's paralyzed prey

lifts off-teeters- lifts off again.

Over the chipped repainted graffitied patina of the dumpster

A blur of reddish brown spots

and dun grey.