Swallows (Hirondelles)

“I flapped my wings a thousand times,
Before I realised that I could fly.” (JAF)

This year the swallows did not find a life
In the fields of Northern France,
And decided it was time,
That they flew home.
The rain had outshone the Sun;
And awoke the first snowfall,
As if nature had been betrayed –
Or lost its natural call.

I watched them gather
Like an army;
Each one knowing its place;
If orders were announced
I could not hear?
A salute of wings
Against grey skies, Africa had called;
But unlike those that will return someday,
They will not find me here.