Hampton Court

Half the shell of a coconut
             hanging by a piece of string
from the window frame
             of a room close to the Great Vine

a tiny blue tit appears
             out of nowhere
and perches inside
             the shell and pecks
at the white flesh
             and with each thrust
of its beak the shell spins
             round and round

and I just stand and watch
             until the bird has had its fill
and flies off into the last
             of the gentle April showers
on the last day of the month
             and the sun comes out
and it gladdens my heart
             and my day is made

John Lyons