Pigeons perch, strut and swoop,
mimicking the violinists’ strokes,
wheeling and soaring with the notes.
One bird struggles in a snare of woe,
strong wingbeats failing to evade
the weight of gloom, preening
a wounded wing, to strive again,
almost rising, broken-winged,
decrescendo, diminuendo.
Poème Op. 25 by Ernest Chausson
