thoornstra
I found a tiny swallow
like a fallen angel
lying in the dust
there beside the road,
hit by passing traffic;
no one even knows…
Kneeling in the sand,
I held it in my hand,
felt its dusky wings
outstretched in my fingers;
soft and supple feathers,
elegant fine shoulders
beautifully streamlined,
made to cut the wind;
blended form and function,
evidence of wisdom.
A rare and noble creature,
so like a living flame;
the spirit flies away,
and yet the form remains,
bearing still the impress
of what it once expressed;
the beauty and the passion
which once wielded it.
But even as I held it,
somehow I knew that it
could not be extinguished;
that the flame burns on
beneath some brighter Sun.