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More precious than all
the gems of Jaipur –
the green bee-eater.
If you see one singing
tree-tree-tree
with his space-black bill
and rufous cap,
his robes
all shades of emerald
like treetops glimpsed
from a plane,
his blue cheeks,
black eye-mask
and the delicate tail streamer
like a plume of smoke –
you might dream
of the forests
that once clothed
our flying planet.
And perhaps his singing
is a spell
to call our forests back –
tree
by tree
by tree.
From Tiger Girl. Shortlisted for Forward Prize for Best Collection 2020. Reproduced with kind permission from Bloodaxe Books.