Underworld Mending

a raven is stitched as

with the leatherbound

trackwork of a baseball.

its beak is like a mangled

dagger, resembling uncut

fingernails for a lifetime.

its eyes are enlarged tapioca 

balls, bursting milky residue.

it perches on tree roots--as

it suckles on soil and attempts

to rip its wings from underworld

mending.