Enjoy Every Sandwich

            –Warren Zevon

Now spring, I should be swinging
for the fences, but settle instead
for my new favorite Thursday sandwich–
prosciutto and fig on a walnut baguette–
and a sunny spot by that downtown park.
In the middle distance, a waterfall
toils mechanically, monument to MLK
and big subjects of equality and justice.

By second bite a thin female blackbird
hops up expectantly, just out of reach,
to display such courage I pause before chewing
to break off the smallest shred
of my delicious bread. Props, adventurous female:
I’ll feed you just a bit while struggling

with the voices of appetite and greater good
that argue against sharing. To Hell
with species preservation and my own
gluttonous impulse. Such a small bird
to be so brave; such commendable enterprise.
My proxy in the world of high-stakes endeavor.

I chew deliberately and watch her
between bites as she rubs her beak
on my granite bench, honing her appetite.