Birds See Things

While flying over you, weakling,  

We saw you — with your fully empty head,  

Harbouring the thought of superiority.  

We could have looked away;  

We saw one of yours, bitten by a snake,  

Writhing in pain, no help in sight.  

We could have helped him;  

We saw you bathing in a room with no roof,  

Scraping the dirt outside, while the inside remained clogged.  

We could have looked away;  

We saw your neighbour selling your son,  

The same son you declared missing days ago.  

We could have foiled his plans;  

We saw your leaders feasting with the culprits,  

The same culprits who disturbed the sea.  

We could have frustrated them;  

But lo,  

And behold —  

We saw one of mine, wings broken,  

Sprawling on the dark brown earth.  

We saw your sons and daughters watch,  

With faces stabbed by wonder.  

From here, we see tomorrow.  

We see the storm, coming to tear off your rooftop.  

We see the man, coming to rip out your heart.  

We see him, a mile away.  

And so, we lie in wait,  

To peck at your eyeballs,  

To feed on your carcass.

This is an allegorical poem that explores the relationship between birds and humans. From their vantage point in the skies, the birds observe the world below, witnessing human suffering, mistakes, and betrayals — all of which they could have intervened in, but chose not to. Their silence is not born from indifference, but from a quiet resentment: humans have hurt them too, as shown in the line, “We saw one of mine whose wings you broke, sprawling on the dark brown earth.” Having witnessed both the past and the present, the birds also foresee the calamities awaiting mankind and, rather than prevent them, they prepare to join in the reckoning — “to peck at your eyeballs; to feed on your carcass.”   

Beyond its literal meaning, the poem symbolizes how those we wrong, whether knowingly or unknowingly, often watch in silence, knowing more about our fate than we realize. They may even anticipate our downfall, waiting for the perfect moment to either mock us or add to our ruin.  

The notable poetic devices include repetition, symbolism/allegory, and personification.