Four Poems

Richard Henry in Fiordland
The mind of man is nothing
but an aviary
                         the sodden book says
or so sang Richard Henry
in the company of
                         waterfalls, those thinnest
most radiant of men.

The roof over Richard Henry’s head
           a roof of birds
and the ground beneath his feet
           his lightly feathered nest.
A world as full of birds as
           the minds of men.

When stoat weather took apart
the kakapo pen
...