Surrounded by Swallows.

I am surrounded by swallows.
They are like falling stars;
Fragments of ancient meteorite,
Shiny black jet, the calling crows
Of Hades crazy in space:
Bats startled by new light,
Dazzled by the universe
As it explodes into life.
The swallows and Martins
Sweep by me, curving
Round the boughs of trees,
Scattering tiny beads of reflected water
From the emerging leaves,
Shadows of the wind,
Chattering like capricious sprites
In their joy.
They are like moths about a flame
Dancing about me, locked
In some ancient rite,
Unafraid: for them
It is a time of celebration.
I am stood on the steep edge
Of the dark hemlock wood,
Waking echoes from the edge of time,
But like the owl’s wings
They are shod with silent whispers.