Uncertain Air

Hunting sky in shallow waters 

alongside the heron

searching for her next meal,

I pull from uncertain air,

she pulls from the clouded river.

I swallow a thick breath

like the heron choking down carp,

eyes to tail and every bone between.

This angel with blue feathers

now concealing acid-softened death,

our lungs and entrails holding

fleeting moments of safety.

Feathers or coats or cars,

masquerading survival as opulence

until a thin veil is peeled

and we are all a moment away

from gasping for air

and swallowing our prey whole.