Thrushes

Thrushes (39)
Note the concentrated focus on the particular physical attributes of the thrushes - 'the dark, deadly eye, the delicate legs. These observations of their physical exterior lead into a consideration of the essence of the bird which the poet reduces to 'nothing but a bounce and a stab and a ravening second.' The thrush has been reduced to an act in time and motion which defines the creature.
Observation leads the poet into speculation and into asking questions about the thrushes' 'bullet and automatic purpose'. Typically, the creature becomes a metaphoric lens for...