A man should never earn his living
if he earns his life he’ll be lovely.
A bird picks up its seeds or little snails
between heedless earth and heaven
in heedlessness.
But, the plucky little sport, it gives to life
song, and chirruping, gay feathers, fluff-shadowed warmth
and all the unspeakable charm of birds hopping and fluttering
and being birds.
And we, we get it all from them for nothing.