its two-note call
pierces the air
again and again
i jump out of bed
and race to the porch
there it perches
overseer
atop the pine snag
one last Mississipi kite
its fierce form
a dark silhouette
against the morning sun
its plaintive cry
slashes
the weighted air
and again
insists
on being heard
and again
shriek-marks
my heart