House Sparrow Lords

Frances Daggar Roberts

As the season changes
they fly in convoy
into the carpark shelter.
They swoop and call around me
as though I am known to them,
but they own this empty space 
in the early hours.
They weave and dive through the pylons 
for the empty space is theirs,
and I am the unknown walker
admitted to their company,
though tracked with speed and squeals
to the open door.

Frances Daggar Roberts is an Australian poet who grew up in a remote area where she began to write poetry to capture the love she felt for plants, animals and landscape.

She now lives in a bushland setting close to Sydney and works as a psychologist treating significant anxiety and depression. Compassion for those who struggle with such issues has led to the frequent exploration, in her more recent poetry, of human need, sorrow and resilience.