The
Heralds of the Summer
by
Gail Dorrington
Have
you stopped to hear the bird song from a garden seat
And
noticed how they shout above the sirens of the street
And
the red-tipped metal dragons drown out the bitter sweet
Tales
of Spring - their songs heard still incomplete
Have
you heard a cuckoo call in the woods above the Thames
No
not since a child dipping in the clear with my friends
Spotting
a fisher king darting liquid blue by Cliveden reach
For
the tiny diamante sticklebacks sparkling on the beach.
Now
they say the robins sing at night to better hear their mates
who call
Above
the buzz of motor-ways cutting through the urban sprawl.
Have
you heard people say “Spring is in the air!” whilst mobile
calling behind the wheel
Entrapped
in offices of sound- proof glass and steel
With
i-pod stuck inside the ear
When
did they take the time to hear
The
heralds of the summer?
