Birds You Cannot See

There are birds in the darkness

That douse electrical fires

Flaring up in nursing homes

And the bedrooms of blind men

Birds you cannot see



There are birds in the darkness

That nest in wooden crutches

Eye patches and bandages

Broken spinal columns, pots of withered plants



Birds you cannot see

Filling every tree

Falling out of closets

And perched on the hands of dying men



There are birds in the darkness

That lead lost dogs off highways

Steer boats past icebergs

Save children stuck in wells

Birds you cannot see



There are birds in the darkness

Seen by those with tumors

Circling common light bulbs

With blue feathered halos

And the sound of rain



Birds you cannot see

Filling every tree

Falling out of closets

And perched on the hands of dying men