There's a phoenix on our roof.
How it got there, I don't know,
But it's roosting all aloof
With an eerie, whitish glow.
I had dreamt I was a bird,
Feeling hot and bulletproof,
When I woke up to the news
Of the phoenix on the roof.
You can see its plumage blaze,
Starry-bright and real as fact.
Yet you see the roof remains
And our house is still intact.
Mother says it's built a nest:
"Yes, I saw it just before,
Placing sticks and strands and shards,
Making room for many more."
Father says to let it be:
"Best to leave it on its own.
Peace can only lead to peace.
Let no deadly claws be shown."
Soon enough, some folk in town
Gather out in front and ask:
"Why on your house? Why not ours?" —
Jealous whispers working fast.*
But the Butcher wants its meat:
"Look at all that magick breast!
Seems so succulent and sweet!
Till I get it, I won't rest!"
And the Chemist wants its tears:
"Phoenix Fluid cures all!
I've been searching all these years!
That elixir's at your door!"
And the Mayoress wants its crown:
"Let me wear that fiery glory!
I've donn'd pheasant, fox and hound.
This makes for a better story!"
And the Lawyer wants its wings:
"I could do with magick quills,
Use them drafting up my documents,
Testaments and wills!"
But the strongest voice of all —
None other than the Pastor:
"'Tis Lucifer Reborn! **
It must be kill'd hereafter!
A heart of feather'd flame
Spells nothing but disaster!
Don't stand there! Shoot and maim!
Get to hunting faster!
I sense a close destruction.
I feel it in the sky!
Now heed my one instruction.
The End of Days is nigh!
I want no rude rebutting.
I want no arguments!
That ugly, evil thing is but
A fowl of foul intents!"
Now Father intervenes:
"No! This plot is still my own!
My dwelling, my decree!
I'm sure the Lawyer knows.
We all shall leave the Bird in peace.
No deadly Claws will show!"
And with those final forceful words,
The townsfolk homeward go.
____
* The phoenix/firebird can be seen as a symbol of good fortune and health. In some religions, the phoenix represents resurrection and thus salvation.
** The phoenix/firebird can also be seen as a harbinger of doom and destruction. Rather than viewing the phoenix as an enlightened creature, the Pastor sees it as a diabolical one.
All images are from Pixabay
YOU ARE READING
The Phoenix on the Roof
Poetry"Still the phoenix sits upon / The world in fearsome form, / With a crown upon her head / And the beauty of a storm." Newfound World, c. 1699: A phoenix nests on the roof of a house in a small colonial town, sending ripples throughout the community...
