Very elegantly done. A wonderful read as far as form and sounds go. And, of course, it's also a very good poem with respect to content. Which is not to say I completely understand it. For instance, I feel that a lot is riding on the word "thirst" in L6; it paves the way for the dry landscape and "lack of water" in S2 and all the associations that follow at the end of the poem. But the trouble is, the bird is not actually thirsty; it's hungry. And that's why I don't think the ending with the emphasis on lack of water works very well to create a parallel between the narrator and the bird that kills.
I pray this lack of water
won't leave me stony at the sight of blood,
of rational, inexorable slaughter.
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