The Aviary

THE AVIARY As I watched him Build it up from nothing In a corner of my garden I remembered the old Aviary destroyed in a bad storm. This one stronger, bigger Made from branches A gentle net of freedom Sheltering my birds And letting them fly in The garden air and wind And my dress billowed And flapped in the breeze. And we planted a tree inside A seed-bearing gift For the birds Canaries, parrots And strange wild visitors. My long-buried girlish excitement Could no longer be suppressed. He drove in nails And shaped wires And hinged a door And made boxes For feeding and nesting. I paired and cared for the birds And we shared A bite at midday And we shared A bed at midnight.