RaW

February has not forced
One bud of colour
From the chestnut by the castle,
The sky is chromatically grey.
Inside we are wearing dark winter coats,
Our faces are pale, the fabrics all porridge and plain.
We enter the silence,
Individual and corporate
And will not break it
Unless prompted by the spirit.
Ah, the spirit.

There’s a stirring in the air above our heads.
Look up,
All the birds of Mexico are gathering
From cloud forest and mesquite,
From Oaxaca, Campeche, Veracruz..
Orange oriole, lilac crowned parrot,
Hummingbirds, sabrewing and garnet throat,
Resplendent quetzal, lovely cotinga.
For a moment they scythe the space
And then they are gone.
The silence was never broken, but
Ah, the spirit.

Annie Foster