Only a tract of light
From an 11th story window
Curdles the darkness
That clings to the sidewalk below.

Shadows curling in from the corners
Soften upon her furrowed brow,
Lazy tears trace slowly down
Cheeks flushed pink with winter;

He catches in her gaze
Perched, black, disdainful and idle;
His red-tailed cousins hunt for prey
While he covets only carrion

And knows that their kinship
Is inside that single arch of light;
Streaming through a window,
Seen through sad and hungry eyes.