Walls of plumage
made to store and cage
their feathers
with pinions for foundations,
dug in deep
within a nest of rock.
Bricks, too, shaped from quills
with which men filled
and blocked off darkness,
labouring to reach heights
roofed with light, white
tufts of down.
Such a structure stood
upon the island
till the hour
people there took flight
when it soared and spread
its wingspan across Heaven,
a glorious annunciation
sparkling feathers throughout night.