I.
In a forest of leafless ash,
all that stirs
is the wind and a peregrine.
II.
The constellation that shimmered
when you were born
is as irretrievable as the peregrine's innocence.
III.
The peregrine's grace
is a measure of feathers
in a minor key.
IV.
Two lovers are more than the sum of themselves.
They promise to honor the unknown they'll engender
as they honor the peregrine roosting in the shadows.
V.
I do not know what to heed:
the hunger for silence,
the satiety of stillness,
or the merciful transience
of the peregrine.