With slippered zeal she chooses her prey,
small-minded and smitten the while;
and a trifling breeze trespasses
across guileless, downy plumage.
Profligate proficiency, this predator's pride,
and below in nature's mosh pit
the brief benefaction of being
runs the gauntlet of chance.
Nocturnally notorious, secretive silence
serving her well...she sits;
remorseless, calm, with opportune optimism.
Her death dive is deceptively disarming.
Author notes
Not sure whether I come in under the 20% marker... 
A contest entry
- How much courage do you have--Part 2 by Exit-Stage-Right.
7000 points, ended February 19, 11 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Please tell me what you think
Comments
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The difficult has become twice-difficult since I was browsing poems off your homepage the other day and blew your anonymity on this one! Great minds thinking alike is not always a good thing. This is quite reminiscent of the way I write (usually your job in a contest is to create something in the style of the judge for better odds of winning) unfortunately I don't like my own style of free verse. You've often given me better marks than I would give myself.
Here, the big words and alliteration, to my ear, sound, well, er..... clunky. How many times haven't I begged poets for device, and now that it's here in spades... argh! (Jimbo, thy name is fickle!
)
[Don't pull this from the contest, please. I seem to recall many other entries in this same boat to one degree or another!]
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Nice alliteration... glad to see a free verseist mindful of device. A little uncertain about "slippered zeal" when "choosing prey"... hmmm... let me chew on that one a while!
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