Birds You Cannot See

The Handsome Family

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
Eye patches 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 halos
And the sound of rain

Birds you cannot see
Filling every tree
Falling out of closets
And perched on the hands of dying men