Creation of the Birds.

CREATION OF THE BIRDS
after the painting by Remedios Varo

   I paint birds from starlight.
   The harder my art, the stronger their wings--

   solar or lunar feathered, iris-barbed.
   The ultrasonic syrinx,

   drawn from my violin-brush,
   starts to hum when I'm lonely.

   I release them while still wet, their songs
   liquid and light, not meant for base ears.

   Even the nests they weave in our old forests
   are harmonies--temporary mouths for our trees.

   Restless, they embark on great migrations,
   beat against the glass of earth's cage.