The Kill

For Emily Dickinson

The surprise is

that we are shocked

at the viciousness of the kill

and the coolness

of the killer

after the act.

Watch the lioness at rest

the satiated sleep

the playful cuff of a cub’s head

the carefully retracted claws.

Rewind:

watch the lady pinpoint her target,

stalk, and strike.

It’s the covering of tracks

the washing of hands

the desire to be clean again

that marks out a human kill.

And it’s in the aftermath of rage

that we spot hope’s feathered edges

and reach.

Susan Jane Sims

Published in The Listening Walk.(ed. Sue Boyle) Bath Cafe Poets 2013