Light flashes in the hedge
as young birds
free from the fields
taste the edges of their new world
then come to feed from our fingers:
sunlight pierces their wings
and the puzzle of leaves and branches
as we watch,
remembering Columba
the holy dove
and the flames of light
that settled on him, filled his house
full of love and secrets,
consuming the dry, tender land.
(Highly commended in the Crabbe Poetry Competition 2020)