Bird wings beat in a tree nearby
and it sounds like someone is repeatedly shaking
a 10p bag.
Not a flimsy 5p one, or a sturdy bag-for-life,
but the one in between.
I realise I know more about plastic bags than bird life
and think it is sad I’m comparing something natural
to something that isn’t,
because I’m sure it should be the other way around;
but I have never thought a carrier bag
sounded like wing beats before –
and I still don’t.
Beth O’Brien is currently studying a degree in English Literature at the University of Birmingham. She loves reading, writing, food and seeing the world – when any of these overlap, she loves them even more!
Gerry Sikazwe is a Zambian poet. He is currently studying at the University of Zambia pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Adult Education. He manages a poetry page on Facebook: “Words and voices from a root” and a poetry blog, Scribbles of a Root. His poems have been featured on sites such as Dissident Voices, AfricanWriter.com, In Between Hangovers, Mshikamano.com and Tipton Poetry Journal.
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