Black Bird

A dark bead shines in his head as he
looks to the sun, catching me only in passing
to his next
jerking
movement.
The muscles in his thick neck
twitch with each hopping dart, from the small crown
down a smooth plane to bright toes grasping at life,
tethering to the safety and security of this spot,
yet somehow refusing the connection that threatens
every soul.

The link breaks.

Small claws release just as the clock stops.
One push as he is left in his own consciousness,
to decide his fate and the rest of eternity.
I turn to let the sun warm my face,
these shielding lids that reveal the world as it truly is.
As the wind breezes through my hair, my arms
involuntarily stretch wide with his and I am gone,
leaving the beast behind with only a shell of what once was
and ascending on the wings of Nike
to my rightful place in the sky.