The sunbird sits
on the bare branches
of a winters tree
and reads a book
devoted to the clay fields
where the itinerants now rest
cared for by the decendents
of clockmakers
who once created time
but do so no more.
When the comet moon passes
an orchestra will play on its tail
and the day will begin
under the trees
where a sunbird now sleeps.
In the shadows of this river
Kingfishers will swim in formation
and search for sunspots
that are collected by clocks
as alms for the dead
who spend their years
counting the days
of the sunbird.
1982