The magpies

ripped at the pink flesh
as I watched
with equal parts horror and fascination.

Earlier, I held the bunny in my palm,
squirming and soft,
big eyes alert to me, to the sky.

It was a moment in the parking lot.
Wings fluttering and beaks swooping.
A terrible spectacle.
I didn’t think.
My arms waved madly
and scooped the tiny thing to my chest with its
hummingbird heartbeat
matching my wild, panicked eyes.

And for a moment I revelled
in the softness, the breath shared with mine.