The Deceit: A poem by Bobby Motherwell

The Deceit by Bobby Motherwell

They rise from the scrapes
like windblown leaves,
a deceit of sixty plus Lapwings.
From white to black
they flicker in flight.
Pages of flip art motion.
Escapees against
a smothering sky.
They mesmerise.
Daring me to distraction
to Goosander and Widgeon
and Great Crested Grebe
bobbing nearby.

Spiralling low, rifling down,
they settle a moment
before the interval concludes
and once more they display.

Here to contemplate loss,
I am aware only of gain.
Their silent display
swamps my melancholy.
…and the wind picks up
and the trees chatter like grasshoppers.

Bobby Motherwell lives in Howwood and is a poet and musician, his solo music project is Sulidae and he is the Poet in Residence at RSPB Lochwinnoch. He also curates and promotes live music at The Boarding House in Howwood. Find out more on his website.

If you enjoyed The Deceit, we have more poetry on our website which you will find here.