Amous: Without Feet
I looked up,
Where above and beyond
Silhouetted Dubrovnik bats,
Larger creatures in the dusk sky dominated,
Like fighter aircraft without pity,
Swooping and diving
Over their target city
And its fearful stray cats and its oblivious humanity.
They whipped fast trails, shrieking in flight,
Taking prey on unbending wing;
They slipped into cracks in walls and contrived
To feed screaming, hungry chicks:
‘Amous’, without feet, these agitated White Swifts
Clung to the ancient stone, contrite…
Then, like black pyrotechnic stars,
Against a pale May sky,
They spilled out
And arced and arrowed and were acrobatically
Strewn about.
And in awe still, fascinated
I looked up…
Pete Ray
May 2016
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| WHITE SWIFTS OVER ST BLAISE'S CHURCH... |
The brilliant, wonderful White Swifts in Dubrovnik…
Low flight apparently suggests a change of weather, or pending rain, whereupon they descend to cooler air.
The inhabitants rely on the return of these fabulous birds each May to ensure peace…
‘Amous’ is the Greek word for ‘without feet’ and that describes these fliers perfectly…
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