Madonna Of The Goldfinch Poem by Martin Ward

Madonna of the Goldfinch

Caress your silkiness;
this golden down,
thrice cursed by loveliness.

To hold you, possess you
in a golden cage that fears
your want of freedom.

Captive by the tattooed crest
that makes you fly in beauty
of capriciousness.

I tied you to my finger
to feel you fluttering
against my flesh.

Should I, in a moment
of weakness, cut the string
that binds my love.

And you shall fly,
as if an angel host would
wing you to a place above.