Swifts in the City By Dominic Palmer

Swifts in the City

Nimble little needle-threaders,
pirouetters, flicker-letters
flocked along the lighter weather,
fingertips of Bach in feather,

Blazon-screeching summer riders,
ancient travelling aether-gliders,
Apodidae, pilgrim-dressed
for long-remembered flights to rest.

Swift to nest abandoned places,
swift to bless and swift in graces,
nimble little flicker-gifts –
flit between my ribs, you swifts.

Dominic Palmer is a teacher, writer and musician living in Manchester. Having been a high-school English teacher for several years, he now works for a network of small churches. Dominic and his wife have recently become parents for the first time, so he is currently quite sleep-deprived but full of wonder.