In the early glint of sun she caws me awake
from the mango tree. Old scrapethroat rakes
trembling air, shirrs green leaves and a stupor
of sucking bees. She will not quiet raucous
creak nor still curved beak for other’s trilling.
Swoops to the mirror, preens her nightglister
wings. Pecks image in glass: kiss or sinister
shadow embrace. Her cry puckers my heart
to a scar. An ugly cry but true, this song
of crow who loves herself. Why can’t you?
__________
Gita Ralleigh works as a medical doctor and completed an MA in 2015. She has been published in Magma Poetry, Wasafiri and Bellevue Literary Review and in anthologies published by The Emma Press. Her poetry pamphlet A Terrible Thing was published by Bad Betty Press in October 2020.