New Poem: On Sparrows: A Lament

On Sparrows: A Lament

Oft I’ve spied the sparrows play,

On a sunny morn in the month of May,

They go about flying and chasing each other,

Chirping, pruning and ruffling their feathers.

Upon the branches of a young pomegranate tree,

The have perched to enjoy the breeze,

Oh! And now into a puddle they dive,

And cavort and dance in groups of five.  

When I was a child and I watched the birds,

Their ubiquity meant that their calls were always heard,

And in their direction I scarcely glanced,

Forever in their state of playful dalliance.

Though now this passerine is not so common,

Maybe it’s phone towers, pesticides or pollution,

But I do know that I no longer see them as often,

And I miss the days they ate the grains in my garden.

Mukund Palat Rao (March 20,2011)