WHO KILLED THE YOUNG SWAN
WHO KILLED THE YOUNG SWAN
STAND UP AND BE COUNTED
I EMPTY MY MIND OF FIGURES
I empty my mind of figures
And fill it with prayers
I walk the avenue
Guarded by the chestnut
with little Christmas trees
Walk over golden leaves
That would outdo Solomon
loop
NOTHING BUT CROWS EVERYWHERE
Nothing but crows
Blackening the light
Squawking terror into the still
Multitudes on the rampage
Dark is everywhere
Nothing is beautiful
But I found a flower in the graveyard
And I saw ducks dance on the water.
AND THERE THEY ARE
And there they are
In mourning
Silent
Just floating on the canal
Following the father
At the head of the family
She is gone
Taken out
Murdered
Nobody will say
Somebody knows
The canal has lost its beauty
And for me
A great friend.
THERE IS NO MOMENT LIKE THIS
There is no moment like this
When my spirit roams
Through falling leaves
Filling me with redemption
The word is passed on
I walk in quiet pastures
By the canal
Where yester days leaves
Have gently turned yellow
A swaying branch deserted
By a fleeing hawk
And I am left in silence
Death of the Parent Swan
AND THERE THEY ARE
IN MOURNING
SILENT
MOVING IN SADNESS
THE PARENT
DEAD
THEY MOVE IN BEWILDERMENT
WHO KILLED THE PARENT
WE WILL NEVER KNOW
ALL WE KNOW IS THAT HE OR SHE IS GONE
AND THE CANAL WILL NEVER BE THE SAME
I WAS AWAKENED
I was awakened
By the rasp of the gander
Hissing its ugliness at everyone
The cock crowing in the morning,
Hens revealing their hiding places
And the song of the blackbird
Brings boundless joy to me.
A HERON SSTANDS MOTIONLESS ON THE BANK
I EMPTY MY MIND OF FIGURES
I empty my mind of figures
And fill it with prayers
I walk the avenue
Guarded by beech and chestnut
And over golden leaves
I pass
That would outdo Solomon
THE SWANS HAVE TAKEN OFF
The swans have taken off
Leaving a feather behind
So warm against my face
So soft against my mind
Into their morning circle
A night that darkens without love
Is pain.