Nevern Estuary
(for Mary Walters)
When the police went in, they found
eggs wedged on rafters in his attic:
rare crows, ospreys, golden eagles
unhatched in cracks and gaps in the ceiling
two thousand eggs stored like a stamp collection
not a twitter, not a hoot, no warbles
no squeals, no skimming on the water
no trills, no clap-chattering on the mudflats
no swooping on the air or gliding or weaving
just silence,
and the occasional gurgle of his central heating.