All Remaining Birds

please remove your coat please remove your name please remove the weather from the window frame we took the train to the edge of town where the grass was painted municipal brown there were birds in the wires there were pills in the stream there was mud on the brochure and a smile on the machine breathe in breathe out file the lungs and turn about knees in the soil hands in the rain the body returns but the signal remains take me outside switch me off in the garden leave me where the insects work take me outside under medical weather let the little green circuits learn we found a field with a plastic smell and a picnic spot beside the warning bell you said the trees looked almost real I said that depends on what trees are supposed to feel there was milk in the clouds there was rust in the fruit there was something alive in the government suit stand still act wild smile for the soil like a registered child skin in the sun teeth in the rain the body adapts but the signal remains take me outside switch me off in the garden leave me where the insects work take me outside under medical weather let the little green circuits learn nature is clean nature is cruel nature is printed on the side of the school nature is soft nature is planned nature is waiting with a form in its hand return return return procedure return return return procedure when the rain came down we all stood up with open mouths and paper cups the sky made a noise like a factory bird and everybody nodded but nobody heard take me outside switch me off in the garden leave me where the insects work take me outside under medical weather let the little green circuits learn please remove your coat please remove your name please remove the weather from the window frame return accepted body unclear

click click leaf begins click click the meadow is switched on there is a box where the garden was there is a light in the stream of the flood a little green sound comes out of the wall it says grow straight grow clean grow useful we planted wires in alphabetical soil we watered them with measured constraints the flowers opened like small instructions yellow yellow yellow approved turn on the insects turn on the leaves turn on the thing that breathes underneath turn on the pollen turn on the mud turn on the garden under the hood frog sound without pond bird sound without sky rain sound electronically green light green lie mother kept a snail in a plastic drawer father taught the grass to answer the door sister made a nest from electric hair I stood very still and blew resolving air do not touch the root the root is awake do not feed the sun the sun is fake do not name the soil the soil reports do not trust the birds they swallow the words turn on the insects turn on the leaves turn on the thing that breathes underneath turn on the pollen turn on the mud turn on the garden under the hood what is a tree? a vertical error what is a field? a soft machine what is a body? a warm container what is nature? nature is clean clean clean clean too clean in the glasshouse the machines made spring a sterile choir with little wings the rain came down in perfect lines and every drop had passed inspection turn on the insects turn on the leaves turn on the thing that breathes underneath turn on the pollen turn on the mud turn on the garden under the hood click click leaf complete click click meadow off please return all remaining birds to the correct department

above above steady now green below lines below breathing in a folded skin we left the ground in a borrowed noise with metal wings and practical joy the trees were flat the river shone like a muscle drawn in chrome we've seen it from above there were clouds with administrative edges and light caught in the leaves a million hands without fingers a million mouths without teeth the pilot smiled at nothing visible the cabin hummed a private green air in the teeth air in the eyes the map stayed still the body revised lean to the left correct the line something in the distance moved inside we've seen it from above we've seen it from above the canopy opened without a sound everything turning very slow very round the river bent like silver wire the light climbed up through the floor the trees looked back in ordered weather leaf after leaf after leaf after more the headset crackled softly laughing the sky grew warm and slightly wrong air in the lungs air in the knees the horizon loosened by degrees hold the line or let it swim we felt the green begin to thin we've seen it upside down we've seen it upside down the river hanging from the air the leaves below us everywhere what is below when below tilts? what is a wing inside a pulse? what is a forest seen too long? what is a body when the ground is gone? we felt it from within behind the eyes behind the tongue the green was soft the green was young it touched the hands without a hand it moved behind the ribs the land we touched it from behind above upside down within behind above upside down within behind the pilot drew a wider circle the sun leaned in to hear us breathe the jungle turned without a surface and entered us through simple things we've seen it from above we've seen it upside down we felt it from within we touched it from behind the engine kept its little faith the trees kept turning in one place green below green inside steady now steady now

one breathe two breathe hold not yet the room went blue before the room was wet the walls came closer in polite amounts the light above made smaller shapes the mouth remained where air ran out we kept a list of useful breaths one for standing one for speech one for the hand that touched the surface one too far and out of reach do not open do not rise keep the water out of my eyes count the chest count the delay air is leaving in a careful way what the water hides is close what the water hides knows what the water hides moves slow below the breath below the throat one breathe two breathe none wait there was a shape behind the pressure not a fish not a face something patient without edges something learning in my place it did not pull it did not speak it made the air feel obsolete lungs like doors half agreed mouth like glass underneath count the chest count the delay air is leaving in a careful way what the water hides is close what the water hides it knows what the water hides comes slow through the breath behind the throat what's hidden by the water? the last good word the white of the eye the little machine that says keep going what's hidden by the water? the hand going cold the name going soft the air divided badly I found a room inside the water I found a chair inside the room I found my breath inside the chair sitting still with someone else the surface moved but did not open the light arrived in broken parts the body asked a simple question the water answered through the heart what the water hides is close what the water hides knows what the water hides keeps still below the breath below the will one breathe two hold not gone lower not gone lower

wipe it up wipe it up air on the floor moist on the hands wipe it up before it spreads someone left the window open someone left the sky inside now the room is full of weather and there is nowhere left to hide mother says the carpet’s breathing father says the walls look pale I can hear the ceiling counting little lungs in every nail do not step there that is morning do not touch it that is rain do not ask why the air is shining do not breathe it all again keep on drowning in spilled air keep on drowning everywhere keep on drowning nice and clean in the weather in between we bought a plant to calm the kitchen we bought a fan to move the fear we bought a small domestic warning but the sound was much too clear there are clouds behind the cupboard there are birds below the chair there is something in the hallway wearing ordinary air close the bottle label nothing fold the lungs and file the steam if the atmosphere is leaking please remain inside the dream keep on drowning in spilled air keep on drowning everywhere keep on drowning soft and slow in the only thing we know air spill air spill white cloth black lung air spill air spill wrong room wrong sun what is breath when breath has edges? what is sky when sky has stains? what is nature in the hallway? what is weather with a name? the garden came in through the letterbox the trees stood up inside the sink the insects signed the visitor book and taught the tap to think I put my mouth against the window I put my hand inside the light the air was warm the air was wet the air was not entirely right keep on drowning in spilled air keep on drowning everywhere keep on drowning nice and clean in the weather in between keep on drowning in spilled air keep on drowning do not care if the room begins to breathe leave the room but do not sleep wipe it up wipe it up air on the floor sky on the hands wipe it up before it understands

erutan erutan say it wrong and it grows erutan erutan nature with its back turned I found the word under a leaf it was facing the other way I asked the tree to read it out but the tree had nothing to say the roots went up the birds came down the soil looked clean in its little brown gown and everybody smiled at the educational sound spell it back spell it black turn the garden on its back name the flower name the wire feed the rain into the fire Erutan is nature spelled backwards Erutan is nature with its shoes on wrong Erutan is nature in the mirror singing such a pretty un-natural song mother kept a fern in a filing cabinet father kept the sky in a jar sister said the moon was a clerical error brother said we’ve come too far the insects made a circle round the television set the weather signed a paper that was almost dry and somewhere in the hallway a very small official taught the clouds to lie spell it green spell it mean wash the leaves until they’re clean fold the grass divide the air put the forest on a chair Erutan is nature spelled backwards Erutan is nature with its mouth shut tight Erutan is nature in the mirror growing little teeth in the laboratory light nature erutan garden nedrag flower rewolf weather rehtaew say it twice and it behaves say it wrong and it saves what is a leaf when the leaf looks back? what is a bird when the sky is black? what is a root when the root goes up? what is a cup when the rain drinks us? I saw Erutan behind the shed wearing branches on its head not a god not an animal not alive but botanical it had a clipboard made of bark it had a smile like a public park it said please remain calm while the outside starts Erutan is nature spelled backwards Erutan is nature with its skin inside Erutan is nature in the mirror standing very still while the rooms collide spell it back spell it black turn the garden on its back air to soil soil to chair birds below and trees upstairs Erutan Erutan nature with its back turned Erutan Erutan say it wrong and it learns I found the word under a leaf it was breathing the other way

stand here stand there new people new air stand still turn round new people go down they arrived in simple clothing with their names still slightly warm they were placed beside the weather and adjusted to the form one was asked to hold the daylight one was told to count the floor one was made to smile correctly one was sent to be some more bend the knee check the face fold the body into place raise the hand lower the head new people almost dead the new people fold the new people fold not from fear but from design the new people fold the new people fold one by one and right on time there were lines around the building there were mouths behind the glass there were clerks with little hammers making futures out of brass someone said the skin was useful someone said the eyes were clean someone wrote a short instruction on the back of what we mean bend the knee check the face fold the body into place raise the hand lower the head new people almost said the new people fold the new people fold not from fear but from design the new people fold the new people fold one by one and right on time soft bones hard light public body private fright soft bones hard light factory morning human night what is a person when the person is pending? what is a body when the body is new? what is a crowd when the crowd has instructions? what is a face when it looks back through you? we saw them growing near the station in a field of office light they had roots around their ankles they had windows in their bite some were breathing through the paper some were singing through the wall some were only temporary some were nearly all the new people fold the new people fold not from fear but from design the new people fold the new people fold one by one and right on time the new people fold the new people fold keep the shape and lose the name the new people fold the new people fold every body folds the same stand here stand there new people new air stand still turn round new people go down

please remain indoors while the weather is corrected please remain calm while the sky is replaced the morning came in the wrong envelope the rain arrived without a name the clouds were late but well presented the sun was asked to come again someone filed a small complaint about the colour of the air someone found a missing pressure sitting quietly on a chair do not open the outside yet do not breathe the final draft the wind is still under review the birds have not been fully staffed the weather department has misplaced the sky the weather department will tell you why please remain indoors while the weather is corrected please remain indoors until the blue has been inspected the forecast spoke in broken numbers one for water two for light three for mild domestic thunder four for clouds that look polite a little voice inside the ceiling said the garden must comply all unauthorized forms of weather will be hidden by July do not touch the moving air do not name the rain too soon the afternoon is being measured by a very nervous moon the weather department has misplaced the sky the weather department will tell you why please remain indoors while the weather is corrected please remain indoors until the blue has been inspected pressure pending sunlight late windform missing clouds await pressure pending sky delayed please enjoy the weather we have made what is rain without permission? what is wind without a file? what is light without a number? what is morning without trial? what is weather when it listens? what is nature when it waits? what is outside in the system? what is air behind the gates? they found the storm inside a drawer they found the fog beneath the stairs they found a small unlicensed rainbow wearing ordinary airs the ceiling dripped a formal notice the window coughed and turned away the sky came back with minor errors and a stamp that said okay the weather department has misplaced the sky the weather department will tell you why please remain indoors while the weather is corrected please remain indoors until the blue has been inspected the weather department has approved the rain the weather department will begin again if the outside starts to gather at your door please report what you saw and nothing more please remain indoors while the weather is corrected please remain calm the sky is almost ready

one bird two birds not enough sky for the third one bird two birds all remaining birds we found them after the weather on the wire above the yard small black marks against the morning singing softly in the wrong regard the air was numbered the trees were still the sun came up by protocol someone opened a little notebook and wrote down almost all wing wire beak signal feather error song residual all remaining birds please report to the wire all remaining birds please adjust your song all remaining birds keep the morning simple not too bright and not too long chirp click chirp click sky approved three were seen behind the station four were heard inside the rain one remained beneath a table making weather with its brain two were marked as still uncertain one was filed as nearly gone one repeated only static one forgot the proper dawn wing wire beak signal feather error song residual morning manual sky denied all remaining birds remain all remaining birds in sound all remaining birds do not scatter do not rise above the count what is a bird when the air is counted? what is a song when the throat is gone? what is a wing in a filing cabinet? what is the dawn when the dawn is on? one kept singing from the cupboard one kept sleeping in the light one flew backwards through the window and returned without a flight one had feathers made of static one had eyes like little bells one was only a small instruction for a sky that failed itself all remaining birds please report to the wire all remaining birds please adjust your song all remaining birds keep the morning simple not too bright and not too long all remaining birds please remain in order all remaining birds please remain in sound if the sky should ask where nature went say nothing look down chirp click chirp click flight removed chirp click chirp click throat approved one bird two birds not enough sky for the third one bird two birds all remaining birds song residual song residual morning counted morning gone all remaining birds remain remain remain

one small light left on one small light not gone after the weather after the wire after the birds after the fire we waited where the morning stopped with our hands inside the sound the sky had closed its little office the rain was nowhere to be found a thin machine kept singing softly not a song and not a word something warm beneath the static something almost like a bird do not call it hope do not call it home do not touch the light leave the light alone do not ask the air what the air has seen some things stay alive inside the machine this is the last warm signal not enough to save the day this is the last warm signal still too bright to throw away this is the last warm signal thin as wire soft as rust if it breaks it breaks in silence if it stays it stays with us there were names inside the cabinets there were fields inside the floor there were clouds without a country there were wings behind the door we had counted all remaining we had folded every form but something small kept disobeying something damaged something warm do not call it love do not call it loss do not name the wire do not count the cost do not ask the room why the room still breathes some things stay behind when everything leaves this is the last warm signal not enough to save the day this is the last warm signal still too bright to throw away this is the last warm signal thin as wire soft as rust if it breaks it breaks in silence if it stays it stays with us small light small error soft pulse sharp weather small light small error still here still here what is left when the birds are counted? what is left when the rain is filed? what is left when the garden closes? what is left when the air goes mild? not a forest not a river not a sky and not a name just a signal almost human just a warmth inside the frame I heard it underneath the table I heard it behind the wall I heard it inside the silence trying not to be at all it was not a living creature it was not a final plan it was only a small remainder of the outside in the hand this is the last warm signal not enough to save the day this is the last warm signal still too bright to throw away this is the last warm signal thin as wire soft as rust if it breaks it breaks in silence if it stays it stays with us one small light left on one small light not gone do not call it hope not yet not yet