THE BLACK VULTURE

Aloof upon the day’s immeasured dome,

He holds unshared the silence of the sky.

Far down his bleak, relentless eyes descry

The eagle’s empire and the falcon’s home—

Far down, the galleons of sunset roam;

His hazards on the sea of morning lie;

Serene, he hears the broken tempest sigh

Where cold sierras gleam like scattered foam.

And least of all he holds the human swarm—