Out To Sea, A Yellow Bird Poem by Diana van den Berg

Far out to sea, waves lapping at the boat
and land forgotten,
fishing, you, my son, espied
a little yellow bird, with a slender beak - not a sea bird,
exhausted on the water.

You stretched out your hand
to save it,
and,
in a breath-swept, miracle-moment, that will last all your days,
this little wild creature
hopped on to your upturned, St Francis hand
and you brought it on to the boat
and it hopped around
to say thank you
then disappeared,
- flown away,
you thought.

Hours later when you docked
and you and your two friends
were pulling the boat out of the water,
out flew
the little rested, thank you bird.

(18 December 2005)