Strangers came
with a quiet rustling of wings,
an ever shifting flock
but not birds.
Starlings were confused
by the drumming of wings
and arrows of wild geese
crossed and re-crossed the sky.
The air grew thick
with the weight of bird song
and each falling leaf
had a hammer’s ring.
Now leaves just catch in the wind
but the birds remember,
they sing till their throats ache
and their feathers shine.