Brother Owl...

 A coo like a cough
made me look upward to see ,
silhouetted in the trees
in the blaze of color that is sunset,
an owl staring unblinking back at me
waiting for the cowl of darkness
to mix with shadows
and so begin his night flights
from tree to tree
emblazoned like an aegis fluttering
against the shield of the Moon...

Looking down, craning his neck
at what seemed an impossible angle,
he suddenly took to wing, a quiet rush of air
the only proof he had been there
and lit just a little further down the trail
This game he played,
as i made my way in the dying light
why he stayed i'll never know
perhaps he was just guiding my way
as the light faded away
fearing for my journey home...
            (11-19-10)