Goldfinches

By Clara Blair

Sporting their new yellow feathers,
The goldfinches are celebrating spring.
Jockeying for position on the birdfeeders
And mining old seed pods on the sweet gum trees,
Whistling softly to each other, they gather.

Goldfinches saved me one day when I could not
Wear my own yellow feathers in the sunshine.
Work kept me indoors poring over marks on paper,
While a single window framed perfectly
Half a dozen goldfinches feasting together.

The work I did that day is long forgotten.
Frustration and discontent have lost significance
In the larger scope of experience.
But I still have those finches in my memory,
Golden, bright and free.

© 2003 Clara Blair