Once a Bird of Prey

he flies
now and then
when commitment
strangles him
I observe
in silence
as he spreads his wings

soaring to the new and different
he seldom lands
for very long
perhaps a brief encounter
with a young nestling
fluttering in virgin skies

his return is sometimes months
in coming
yet I wait in the gilded cage
till aging wings must rest

and he shelters himself
in the nest of my forgiveness
for the long, cold winter
till the birth of spring beckons
his habitual flight