Reminiscent of a Bruise

Reminiscent of a Bruise
by William Vieth
The creature is now nothing more than a bruise
Black, Blue, White, and stained red
It sits there staring at me with cold, lifeless eyes
I feel no sympathy
no remorse
Too late to deliver salvation
Instead, I abruptly ended the suffering
Hobbling across the field,
Its wing dangling fruitlessly
I watched mixed with pity and excitement
I would have to play God.
The girl and I fanned out across the field
She, my scout, yelled the location of the jay.
The bird saw me and fled, clinging for life as we all do
A loud crack
a plume of dirt
The bird kept running
The threat is near
Again and again,
An angry rancher,
Trying to provoke lazy cattle.
Feathers sprung up everywhere, red spattered the ground
A joyous gasp exited our lips, watching the creature meet a timely end
The deed is done
The reward is hers.