The Hidden Work of Birds
By Iljas Baker
1
They traverse the firmament
guided by the stars
and an inner power.
They bring us beauty and music
and signs
if we can read them.
2
Mid-day birdcall
sudden, loud, insistent
penetrates the kitchen
where I’m standing
pulling krapao leaves from their stems.
I’m startled.
Then I understand:
don’t lose your Self in thought.
3
Mixing the good fruit with the bad
is the only way to earn a living,
those market traders lie.
But the hoopoe says:
go directly to the orchard,
select only the good fruits
from the tree
and let the bad fruits fall
and rot.
Iljas Baker was born in Scotland and is a graduate of the universities of Strathclyde, Aberdeen and Edinburgh. He now lives in Nonthaburi, Thailand and teaches at Mahidol University International College in the Division of Social Science. He writes poems, essays and book reviews usually on Islamic themes.
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