Between burnt
tuwchalakwm stumps,
he jumps,
bristles in predator stride.
He pounces out of ash,
heat-cracked wood,
upon gravel.
Stalking shadows,
invisible prey,
like the predators
we dream ourselves to be.
His song,
coaxed forth
by blood
coloured feathers,
deep chested
cuts through
heavy air,
ripples
with polyphonic
edges of melody,
flows widely
in search of
an unanswered
duet
Copyright © 2026 by D. A. Lockhart. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on November 11, 2026, by the Academy of American Poets.
