The NS Poem: Mechanical birds

A new poem by John Porter.

A series of 24 photographs showing stages in the flight of a cockatoo, circa 1887. (Photo by Eadweard Muybridge/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

My garden is full of mechanical birds
they flutter freely
build real nests,
splatter synthetic shit
with abandon.
The feathers are painted
by gifted interns
paid nothing
but allowed to hold a bird
once a week.
I track the flock
on my phone until
tapping the screen
brings them back to my shed
where I pull apart wires,
break fragile necks,
watch the light fade,
then in the morning
solder the world
together again.