I saw a raven standing
in the middle of the road ahead of me.
He didn’t try to fly away
when cars approached.
He looked normal, just standing
there on the highway, eyes open.
I walked out onto the highway
and picked up the raven.
He didn’t resist my touch.
I carried him to the side of the road.
When I set him down, I saw
there was blood on my hands.
I had never touched a raven before.
Not once in my entire life.
I thought he might attack me
when I reached for him.
But now I could see
that he was in too much shock.
Ravens are large birds, but he was
surprisingly light when I held him.
I sat with him for a while
talking softly, trying to keep
him at ease.
I didn’t know what else to do.
The raven just stood there looking at me.
He did not understand
that he was going to die
from his injuries.
Or maybe he knew.
