Background

I had always thought

British garden birds

rather ordinary,

boring and brown

and all looking the same

more or less.

But suddenly this year

they seem to have taken on

a splash of colour,

as if they have

dipped and swooped

in and out

of an artist’s pallet.

Even the red chin

of the swallow

seems brighter;

the green wagtails

greener; and the

goldfinches scramble to

monopolise the view

from every window.

I had always allowed

the birds to occupy

the background,

and perhaps only now

that I yearn

some colour,

do I notice

the rainbow in them.

John H Davies

7th May 2011