The dog had woken and was restless
And you said in the dark it’s an owl
Of course the dog knew differently
And persisted licking the fingers
Of my hand to waken me
Out of that place of deep darkness.
I followed her down over the stairs
And saw the cat play with the bird
And then dart away from the fluttering
In the curtain and the distressed sound
Of a small bird alone and confused
I took it in a quick actioned grasp
And felt its heart beating fast
In the darkness I felt its wings
And stretched each leg to ascertain
That none of those small bones
Were bitten through or broken
Then I let it loose and heard it flutter
And it flew away into the darkness.
Rescuing is a goodness of its own.