The Woods At Night

The binocular owl,
fastened to a limblike a lanternall night long,
sees where allthe other birds sleep:
towhee under leaves,
titmouse deepin a twighouse,
sapsucker grippedto a knothole lip,
redwing in the reeds,
swallow in the willow,
flicker in the oak -but cannot see poorwhippoorwillunder the hillin deadbrush nest,
who's awake, too -with stricken eyeflayed by the moonher brindled breastrepeats, repeats, repeats its pleafor cruelty.