THE SWALLOWS


This year they took their time to get going.
Frantic activity waited until June.
We worried when scaffolding went up
About disruptions to family life,
But the young's supply of flies continued.

I counted thirty-five of them today,
Assembled on a wire against blue sky.
Gone are the fluffy feathers.
Their tails have lengthened and now they can fly.
The scaffolding - a blessing in disguise;
It was really the foundation of a flying school.
We tried to focus on tennis at Wimbledon,
But found ourselves watching their progress.

Graduates of The Coshieville Flying School,
They soar and dip, swoop, race and twirl,
As we wait for the window-cleaner to return.