Published September 15th, 2024
March 15th, 2010 – February 23rd, 2023
by LindaAnn LoSchiavo
Born in captivity, Flaco conversed
With visitors through bars, his mighty wings
Becalmed in Central Park's Zoo, a locked ward's
Parameter of hunger for freedom.
Small mammals fed to Flaco filled him up,
Since blood demands more blood, while reminding
The thirteen-year-old predator of his
Entrapment, power's raw futility.
Little disturbed the blue work of dreaming
Till rascals clipped meshed wires – and he flew free,
Uniting citizens who chronicled
His accidental liberation day.
Long cloistered, this Eurasian eagle-owl
Exerted untried muscles, mastering
Pale fire, exploring, cautiously at first,
The Upper West Side's ecstasy of sky,
Becoming Manhattan's reigning rat czar,
His art the genius of inspiring awe
While commandeering new celebrity.
Don't make me tell you how he crashed and slipped,
A lesson in humility unfit
For such a rara avis resplendid.
Did Flaco love us back? We thought he did.
About the Poet
LindaAnn LoSchiavo resides in New York, New York, United States.
Read the poet's biography on LindaAnn LoSchiavo's Artist Page.
This poem is included in Comet #3,
published in the Wax Poetry and Art Library.
Previously published in NYC Poetry Magazine:
Wealth and Fame
by Mark Salzwedel
NYC Poetry Magazine is part of the Wax Poetry and Art Network.
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