one mockingbird crosses a boundary
causing another to take chase
those two cross into a third’s territory
the fourth bird can’t just watch
abandons his post joins the pursuit
and becomes the last daredevil
in a banking screeching dogfight
each bird in turn attacking
another in an aerial bombardment
that spins beyond the four
backyards and out of sight
when the dogs and I return
from the walk we hear that
sleepy afternoon silence
the papery flutter of leaves
and see a single gray feather
under the huge eucalyptus
that grows over the point
where four countries meet
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