The Black Birds Poem by RIC BASTASA

THE BLACK BIRDS
which we see from where
we are seated,

a verandah of grass
as we sip tea from a porcelain cup
as we talk about the changing
global climate
and environmental laws
and some philosophies about living
and politics of teamwork,

the black birds as you noted
are nesting beside the air conditioning units
of our cousins four storey apartment

five black birds
with nests there with red eyes
and smooth shiny feathers

we do not know anymore
the names of these birds
and we do not react to the surprise
of this phenomenon
when they are no longer nesting on
the mango trees

ah, what mango trees?
for indeed all of these old mango trees
had long been gone.