La Montañeta and the cleverest of birds

and so on that clearest of mornings we ascended

high up to the lonely crater of La Montañeta

gazing down into the cultivated caldera inside

green, zucos planted with figs and prickly pears

and the distant, urgent caw of a crow circling below us

- then our sudden realisation she was under attack

a duo of kestrels battling crow, two against one

their shadows dimmed the sunshine of our day
as they dove and bombed in relentless assault 

shrill shrieks to threaten and torment their prey
on stealth-like wings of owlish gray and rust

half the size of crow and deadly, fine tuned 

hunger-impelled, they swooped and scraped 

hunting crow with intense precision, malevolent -

persistently they hovered then dashed seeking

to fasten their claws in crow's bleeding flesh 
beating her into surrender until weak with fright - 

and all seemed doomed, her fate accompli 

when with quick-wit she spied us with intelligent eye

we unwitting spectators of nature in all its cruelty

unable to intervene, helpless witnesses on the crater

in a heartbeat moment crow landed right there

alongside, just beyond our reach, panting and cawing 

exhausted in her sanctuary and momentary respite

she knew those ratchet kestrels would not dare so

we sat for some time, on the crater of La Montañeta

five of us playing a waiting game as the duo hovered and

circled the caldera below, crying in frustration for their crow

until eventually giving up, moving on, the coast finally clear

crow lifted off, leaving us there - she lived to caw another day