untitled by john compton

untitled

the vulture eats the deer;
the head is already gone.

the red beak & black wings
flash by my peripheral.

it swoops around in a circle—
a death kite:

wearing intestines like a medallion—
blood binding them to its chest.

it perches on my shoulders
& imbeds talons

to make us a singular objective;
to give me knowledge;

to teach me how to eat
the rot from this world;

to assist
in cleansing the decay.

*

john compton (b. 1987) is a gay poet who lives in kentucky with his husband josh and their dogs, cats and mice. his latest full length book is “my husband holds my hand because i may drift away & be lost forever in the vortex of a crowded store” published with Flowersong Press (dec 2024); his latest chapbook is “melancholy arcadia” published with Harbor Editions (april 2024). you can find his books, some poems and other things here: https://linktr.ee/poetjohncompton