Keas at Franz Josef NZ
I always thought I had
something special to offer:
I can draw a curve from point A to B;
I can hold 10,000 grains of sand
in my hand
and estimate their number.
So what about those dusky parrots
over there?
So awkward on the ground,
scrounging crumbs of scone,
not particularly dangerous
but with a nasty bite.
I know, some day,
the one who squawked at me will die,
And, in time, this noisome species,
and the next, will disappear,
until parrothood itself
dissipates with the rainforest mist.
But, for now,
when they fly,
Bright Red
flashes in the pits of their wings, and,
Because their feathers rustle
like shuffled paper,
everyone just smiles
and wants to take their picture.
Glenn Simonelli wrote a chorale piece for male choir based on this poem. The score is available at reallygoodmusic.com for a nominal price.