Page:Body of This Death.djvu/16

 preens upon a branch outspread With jewelry of seed. He's deaf and mute. The sky behind him splits like gorgeous fruit And claw-like leaves clutch light till it has bled. The raw diagonal bounty of his wings Scrapes on the eye color too chafed. He beats A flattered tail out against gauzy heats; He has the frustrate look of cheated kings. And all the simple evening passes by: A gillyflower spans its little height And lovers with their mouths press out their grief. The bird fans wide his striped regality Prismatic, while against a sky breath-white A crystal tree lets fall a crystal leaf. [ 2 ]