Rectangular wings divided the air Tipped, banking into the rising column A circular convoy of foreboding feather Their shadows defying the sultry weather Framing the object of despair The birds landed in rapid succession Ungainly hops brought each to a halt So began a ruthless assault No last rites, no sins for remission A methodical, innocent, indifferent mission Cold distant eyes, surgical precision A scavenger, vulture, bird of derision Casting judgment, we disdain and mock But it’s not the bird that’s in the dock Stop and cast an honest eye On the packaged chicken, grilled rib-eye Not manifest red in tooth and claw A clandestine misery we choose to ignore A dumbfounding stain upon our culture We may well ask, who is the vulture ?