There are birds in the darkness that douse electrical fires
Flaring up in nursing homes and the bedrooms of blind men
Birds you cannot see

There are birds in the darkness that nest in wooden crutches
Eyepatches and bandages, broken spinal columns,
Pots of withered plants
Birds you cannot see, filling every tree, falling out of closets and perched on the hands of dying men

There are birds in the darkness that lead lost dogs off highways
Steer boats past icebergs, save children stuck in wells
Birds you cannot see

There are birds in the darkness seen by those with tumors
Circling common light bulbs with blue feathered haloes
And the sound of rain
Birds you cannot see, filling every tree, falling out of closets and perched on the hands of dying men