the plane and the blackbird by Rg Gregory
a cold bright sun two days to christmas a first-quarter moon at a good vantage-point
a small white coffin driven slowly uphill from the cemetery gate to the minimal grave
fifty people attending unexpected collection of nettle-stung hearts at a barely-lived dying
a shuffling past yews thoughts finding rhythm a lightness that bred from a silent aceptance
a red-arrowed plane in single formation scissored the sky's blue above the procession
sagittarian arrow a sizzling of fire an unconscious dipping of wings in salute
to a baby whose burning from birth to departing took thirteen fast days from rain into sunshine
till almost the hilltop the hole with its mound a circle of people shared its raw hollow
no vicar no service a speaking of poems cotoneaster sprigs dropped into the grave
the red plane returned cut its own circle honoured the sunlight and passed by the moon
from a treetop nearby a sharp-singing blackbird trilled its objective gold-beaked lullay
the grave was filled in the high hill deserted and down in the valley a rare christmas came
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