The Twelfth? Never!

The Twelfth? Never!"

quick upward escaping flight

crack crash-crack

suddenly altered into
a fast whirling out-of-control
plunge,

crack crash-crack

dead or, worse still,
only dying, bombs into
the eco-system that
nurtured it, allowing
a feather to break free
from the body that
was its life

crack crash-crack

they hear the call
of death once more,

filling the skies
with harmed and harmless birds,
with toxic lead shot,
with death

echo after echo re-echoes
the vision stays

the guns go silent
the dogs begin their work