two swans fly low
the length of the lagoon
mated for life
we continue our journey
through a winter landscape
on the promenade
three teenage girls screaming
as they are attacked
by half a dozen seagulls
who steal their fish and chips
seven magpies
hopping on my front lawn
has to be a sign
of imminent good luck
I salute each one of them
from our empty nest
I watch a fledgling gull
trying out his wings
far too early to fly
the years longest day
a dawn chorus
with it’s bright joyful song
the urge to join in
to find my own voice
and celebrate the new day
in the cool dawn light
there’s chirping in the eaves
newborns in their nest
I lie awake listening
then my alarm clock joins in
in the distance
white seagulls circle and swoop
against a dark grey sky
the nearest thing to snow
so far this year
as the lock fills up
a fledgling gull dives into
the ebbing swirls
and emerges with a fish
a sharp wind catches my breath
five stories up
outside the hotel window
a hawk circles
above the noisy traffic
above fields of concrete
straight as an arrow
a crow flies through the twilight
heading for the moon
I follow it out of sight
keeping both feet on the ground
as the sun rises
a swan flies low
along the beach
the throbbing sound of its wings
hypnotising me