Poems for People (birds) Who Care – no. 4 ‘Paradise Lovers’

Paradise Lovers

 

Paradise Male bops feathers to bull-frog chirp and monkey-caw

this evening the forest feels electric 

Female will scale his dance-floor

 

Paradise male slicked-back, chest-puffed, legs 

bent on pouncing begins 

tender ground-work

 

eyes shook, catastrophizing 

his arena’s dust is distressed

 

***

 

Paradise Male collects red berries 

     orbs to light her way

shirks mess with snakeskin 

from her high perch

 

he is reformed

ready

throat inflamed

once blue eye 

winks yellow 

when

 

Paradise Female dives

through fluorescent canopy

lands, quiet as Fate

 

***

 

Her brown down conceals

tail quivers, beak braced

 

four weapon-eyes at Sun-down

then

so humbly pumped on adrenaline

 

Para-Male steps on-stage

Snap! 

 

black cape sprung behind him

breast-shield traffic-light green

antenna feathers swinging 

crown-jewels of a bird-deity

 

he begins vigorous side-stepping

juggling her response

 

Paradise Male scales her high-wire branch

she is swayed by special effects

 

They lock wings in a kind war of flying, shrieking, intent.

 

TF