Poem: "Saint Francis and the Birds"

I'm not especially religious, but I find religions and their stories very interesting. I also enjoy poems, and I liked this one by Seamus Heaney so I decided, as a quick exercise, to illustrate it.



Saint Francis and the Birds

When Francis preached love to the birds
They listened, fluttered, throttled up
Into the blue like a flock of words

Released for fun from his holy lips.
Then wheeled back, whirred about his head,
Pirouetted on brothers’ capes,

Danced on the wing, for sheer joy played
And sang, like images took flight.
Which was the best poem Francis made,

His argument true, his tone light.

—- Seamus Heaney