I
A yellow canoe
against the red brick wall
promises
early morning
upon a quiet lake
II
By the side of the highway
where kids with knapsacks thumb rides to God-knows-where,
only bottled water(unopened), a ripe banana(intact),
and a container with green grapes(washed)
remain
III
The heady scent of sweet lilacs
cannot dispel the image, mask the sound
of a crow‘s harsh beak devouring
a black fledgling
and its cries
JC Sulzenko