ab aeterno* rictus **

perched on the crest
neck extended, the hawk 
scanned the ground

wheels - 2,3,4,18
men and animals 
vying for the tarmac

pathos aplenty
pickings slim 
for the bird of prey

in that dissonance
of diesel's  whining
exhortative blares 
vendor's symphonies
pauper's piteous pleas 
children's cackling chatter
coalescing 
into fickle silence

the lava of suspicion
blends with pollution
and plebeian palliation
and flows invisibly

a child with matted hair
runny nose, bloated stomach
stupefied, locks eyes
with the bird
and smiles

_______
ab ae·ter·no   –adverb Latin. from the most remote antiquity.

ric·tus   noun, the gape of the mouth of a bird