he likes the birds best
likes arranging their wings
in fantastical forms
the vivid plumage,
the soft feathers
which will never taste
an air current again
sky-eyes replaced by
false ones -
bright and glassy.

he likes the birds best
likes the precision required
to handle their delicate beaks
the steadiness of hand
needed to leave no mark
from needle and thread
the challenge in making
the birds look
as if he had not
touched them
at all.

he likes the birds best
likes arranging their limbs
and wings
so gracefully
mounted on almost
invisible stands
so that he can pretend
that they are
flying still
so that he can pretend that
they are flying
only for him.