Night Birds

They settle slowly on the wire,
Drawn to its slow oscillation.
No need to break sleep’s surface.

Their wings are folded silent,
Roosting shapes collecting shadow.
Their parched beaks are empty.

Their music hides inside their throats.
Asthmatic in the dark before dawn,
They wait to breathe my morning.

Originally a London-based journalist, Clare now lives in northern Scotland where she is working on her first novel and grows food on her family’s six-acre organic croft. Her work has been described as speculative, slipstream or neo-noir, and has appeared in Northwords, The London Reader, The Specusphere and Fictitious Force as well as anthologies published by Michael Joseph, Wester Ross Radio, Midnight Showcase and the annual Biggar Science Festival.