The Eternal Bird of Prey

 

Joseph Danoski

 

He walked before the dawn upon the face of the earth,

And watched as the Mother-of-All-Nations first gave birth.

A god on the mountain, a magician and sage;

Saw generations crawl from the cradle to grave.

 

He walks his mausoleum, and haunts its marbled halls;

Magnifying himself in the mirrors on the walls.

A prince of darkness, a heart of stone and solitude;

There at midnight in a magical rite,

By the light of the moon renewed.

 

He is the ancient one who keeps regaing his youth,

Fooling the ephemerals to the eternal truth.

He's older than the hills, all dark secrets and caves,

With eyes full of lives behind a face that won't age.

 

He's the king of his kingdom, but the last of his race;

Begotten in the aftermath of the fall from grace.

Watching the cities, and stalking humans as they play;

Spotting his victims and spreading his wings,

Like a ravenous bird of prey.

 

Making a sacrifice unto himself

As a scavenger bird of grey;

Showing no mercy, a scourge and a curse,

Is the eternal bird of prey.

​

      Joseph V. Danoski is a writer of letters and essays on diverse subjects, with strong opinions on many topics. A poet of horror, science fiction, and fantasy; he has been  published in journals and webzines both in the US and abroad. Various publications include Scavenger’s Newsletter, Pegasus, Red Owl, The Ultimate Unknown, Penny Dreadful, Pivot, Psychopoetica (UK), The Nocturnal Lyric, The Quest (India) The Aurorean, The Mentor & Masque Noir (Australia), Twilight Ending, Talvipaivanseisaus (Finland), The Romantics Quarterly, Hadrosaur Tales, Endemoniada, Northern Stars Magazine, Taj Mahal Review (India), The NeoVictorian, The Eclectic Muse (Canada), Frisson, Black Petals, Outer Darkness, Yellow Mama, Sanitarium Magazine, A Year of Sundays 2023, and The Horror Zine.

      Other activities include being a multi-instrumentalist, songwriting, and recording original music. Joseph currently resides in Berlin, New Hampshire. Dojonaki05@Gmail.Com