Sparrow Tree

I had this tree

Where the sparrows nested,

My aviary.

 

I welcomed a blackbird,

Which was wrong. That,

A better class of song

Went calling on the sparrows’ nest.

Guess the rest.

You think I’ve blackbirds? They moved on

To kill elsewhere.

 

No tune, no subject.

Yes, imaginary birds,

But they’re no use.

So, start again

With thorns, an invitation.

from Sparrow Tree (Bloodaxe, 2011), © Gwyneth Lewis 2011, used by permission of the author.

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