Raven

Raven,
You watch me from the telephone pole.
A ruffled black sock with bright liquid eye,
You are conspiring.

Raven,
You make me smile with your diabolical dance.
You bring me old party favors, scraps of cake
Trashy news, word of decomposition, night wind.

Raven,
You congregate in trees and gossip.
You dream of impossible adventures,
Of picking locks and pecking eyes.

Raven,
Bus drivers hate you.
You never pay the fare.
Ride all day on the city's thermals for free.

Raven,
Policemen fear you.
You snatch at their doughnuts with dirty claws,
Make obscene calls they cannot trace.

Raven,
I like you.
You follow me wherever I go,
A message held tightly in your beak.
It reads, "You will never be free,
Until you learn to eat garbage like I do,
And love it."