Response for "The Swans".

The Swans, by Clifford Dyment
Midstream they met. Challenger and champion,
They fought a war for honor
Fierce, sharp, but with no honor;
Each had a simple aim and sought it quickly.
The combat over the victor sailed away
Broken, but placid as the gift of swans,
Leaving his rival to his shame alone.
I listened for a song, according to story,
But this swan's death was out of character
No giving up of the grace of life
In a sad lingering music
I saw the beaten swan rise on the water
As though to outreach pain, its webbed feet
Banging the river helplessly, its wings
Loose in a large hysteria.…