You Have Never Lived Because You Have Never Died

I saw 13 black crows as black as 3AM 
and as big as vultures eyes 
with wings hanging to their sides like laundry on the line 
they were standing in a circle letting their tongues dry 
 [bad word] for me like thieves or ghosts 
stealing songs, and whispering poems to themselves 
about nonsense and existence 

I don’t want to die 

I saw 4 black eagles, with horns growing towards the ground 
like columns or anchors reaching for the bottom 
their feathers folded like hands on a man resting in his coffin 
bending over each other rattling my bones 
 [bad word] out the answers in ways I will need one day 
their hooves are giving me growing pains 
I sleep like a tornado 

I saw 18 black hawks, with beaks full of teeth 
roaring like a pack of wolves in perfect V 
with hoods over their eyes to cover up what they’ve seen 
secrets bouncing off the insides of their lips meant for me 
they landed on my life like spears, ears tucked back like arrow feathers 
wings spread wide like storm clouds over kansas 
hailing on me teaching me their dances, they gave me armor 

we will never die, we will never die, I don’t want to die, we will never die 
we will never die, but we don’t want to try, I don’t want to die, I won’t let you die 
we will never die, we won’t even try, but if we never die, then we never really live 

I saw 9 black owls, they were quiet as death 
they had talons like antlers growing from their hearts 
and they were tearing me apart 
each bird was tagged like cattle with one word 
and they burned them in to my mind...they read 
you have never lived because you have never died