A robin starts up from stone to trellis
Each wing-beat, heart-beat, at a speed to match
His mind's swift motion
He perches, surprised, beside somnolent starlings
Their screams silenced and ravenous feeding suppressed
Temporarily
Damp from a dunking, they resume grooming
Rapid-fire claws scratch
At head and chest
They are drops from the sea of the flock
Later, a mysterious magnetism draws them
Back into wholeness
Below, a blackbird lays claim to squirrel-scattered seeds*
Above, robin and starling exchange glances:
What is contained
In that inter-avian parlay?
*this has been edited since it was originally posted.
The poem is a delight! Good last line and I've learned what 'phonology' means :-)