| Invitation | |
| Oh do you have time | |
| to linger | |
| for just a little while | |
| out of your busy | |
and very important day | 5 |
| for the goldfinches | |
| that have gathered | |
| in a field of thistles | |
for a musical battle, | |
| to see who can sing | 10 |
| the highest note, | |
| or the lowest, | |
or the most expressive of mirth, | |
| or the most tender? | |
| Their strong, blunt beaks | 15 |
| drink the air | |
as they strive | |
| melodiously | |
| not for your sake | |
| and not for mine | 20 |
and not for the sake of winning | |
| but for sheer delight and gratitude – | |
| believe us, they say, | |
| it is a serious thing | |
just to be alive | 25 |
| on this fresh morning | |
| in the broken world. | |
| I beg of you, | |
do not walk by | |
| without pausing | 30 |
| to attend to this | |
| rather ridiculous performance. | |
It could mean something. | |
| It could mean everything. | |
| It could be what Rilke meant, when he wrote: | 35 |
