I leap off my perch
Which houses me most of the day,
A flash of brown catching my eye,
It dances along the perimeter
And flees away from my grasp,
And as I sprint, I’m on its haunches,
And the creature looks at me,
In his eyes I see my own, but twisted,
Red, mean, small,
In his eyes I see fear,
And I see me,
Fear,
Me,
I try to halt, but my limbs won’t listen,
My legs run, my arm swats,

The last thing I saw in those eyes were my claws,
Talons piercing his heart,
And I stalk away in a mask,
My grief overshadowed by a triumphant face,
His limp, lifeless, little body dangling from my lips,
Rivulets of blood running down my chin,
And as I throw him in the air, trying to set his soul free,
I realize I am the predator,
And that’s why they love me.