Il nibbio
Eleanor Paynter

 

 

                           —So the town spills into my mind.

 

All afternoon kite birds scooped the valley

             and we watched, knees bent

on the crumbling wall,

 

naming what we saw

             so we could go back to it—

 

 

 

 

~~~~~

Originally from Texas, Eleanor Paynter lived in Atlanta and Rome before moving to New York, where she writes, teaches, and translates. Her poems have recently appeared or are forthcoming in Washington Square Review, Cooweescoowee, Salamander, and Verse Daily.