Diana Darby ** "I V" ** Intravenous

Passing By

There was no time to react
it all happened so fast.
One moment there were the normal sounds of the day
and the next,
screams.
I watched a hawk grab a baby from its nest
and fly away with it like a crazed pilot.
The baby’s parents followed with such ferocity
it was clear they had forgotten their attacker was three times bigger than they were.
The screams from the trees were worse than any human fight
I had ever heard.
Words and threats hurled back in forth,
rustling of leaves,
fighting and screaming.
From the sounds of it the hawk was in for more than he had bargained for.
One minute the parents were busy
hunting for food for their baby,
and taking turns with their vigil,
and the next,
they were in a fight for their child’s existence.
It was incredible how quickly things change.
Ten minutes later,
the screams just ended.
The silence was more terrifying than the shrieks
because I don’t know the ending.
Either the parents got their baby back
or the hawk got lunch.
I fear it was the later.
I wonder
what they will do now.
What will they fill their hours with?
Will they return to their empty nest
and hover above it?
Will they weep and wail
and blame each other like we would?
Or will they separate,
find another partner and start again?
There is no grief counselor for them to go to.
No source of wisdom.
There is only the day
and the hours and the seconds
passing by.