Equipped by Heaven, Restricted by Self

a hawk who lurks for her prey

often reaps the reward of a meal

a hawk who denies the urge to lurk

will starve by her own talon

yet she’s never made the choice

to lurk or to lie

to eat or be eaten

to kill or to starve

although the heavens equip her mind

the same body blessed by a saint

experiences a violent refusal

to pursue the hunt

the choice has been made by those beyond us

that she is not to hunt

aside from the first month

and only when she is free of thought