Blackbird Lawn
This male blackbird has one white eyebrow
but sings as beautifully as the rest.
His mate is the brown of polished chestnuts
with a beak as bright as his.
Dutifully they collect food, wait
every morning for the scattered raisins
to carry to their brood.
Soon they will come to the lawn
with large-mouthed, speckled young -
teach them to pull worms from grass,
to recognise the footfalls
that promise sweetness.
Juliet Wilson
© 2010
from the chapbook Unthinkable Skies, published 2010 by Calder Wood Press
"large-mouthed, speckled young" = great imagery for this time of year.
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