A Bird of Prey Always Has the Last Word by Tracy Mishkin for Sherry Chandler I. Letter from Hawk on Christmas Day Thank you for filling the feeder and luring the cardinal down. I was hungry, perched in a pine and waiting. Fat target. Easy prey. I suppose you sought beauty: red bird, evergreens, fresh snow. I thought only of meat. II. Reply to Hawk The Currier & Ives notecard was a lovely touch. I know you have to eat. Why rub it in? Today I bought every can and box on sale, all for the food bank. When the season of warmth and giving is over, donations drop. Like you, the children have to eat. They are not sentimental about their food. III. Hawk Drops One Last Note A donation in my honor? Precious. When I have children I cannot feed, they shrivel in the nest and I watch them die. Bio: Tracy Mishkin is a career immigrant. Born in academia, she taught in Georgia and published two books on Afric...
Flying Island is the Online Literary Journal of the Indiana Writers Center, accepting submissions from Midwest residents and those with significant ties to the Midwest.