Green Bee-eater

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.

Tiger Girl cover

From Tiger Girl. Shortlisted for Forward Prize for Best Collection 2020. Reproduced with kind permission from Bloodaxe Books.

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