Lyrebird

A lyrebird looks up, 

sees the clouds have consumed the sky again,

its blue song silenced, and is gratified - 

it is hard to hold in view what you cannot reach

when you are clumsy-winged and awkward.

Grounded, they run, they dance, and

earth-bound, fright is more the flight 

of a lyrebird, tail feathers

of finely strung filaments in vibration,

in gravid harmony with the understory 

of a forest. 

 
I have always been afraid,

though I have tried to emulate the confidence 

built from nurture, but security can't be constructed 

in the absence of care: no pretence

can make you safer.

A lyrebird imitates, fools

in the mimicry of its universe, music

played with the chords of others, for love, 

a lie for love, and this is my tune - 

it is the only thing about me that is beautiful. 
 

Image is from here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Menura_superba_-_Thomas_Davies.jpg

Also on Twitter: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lyre_bird.jpg#mw-jump-to-license

Lyrebirds are amazing. Here is a video of their mimicry (although this video has been argued about because lyrebirds, in general, only mimic other birds, as opposed to chainsaws etc, and it has been said that whilst the birds in this video had mimicked urban sounds that this was only because they had been kept in a zoo - but I don't know what the truth is, and besides, they're still fantastic birds). https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mSB71jNq-yQ