Sounds of Senescence
Moving swiftly across the swamp the sparrow tentatively spreads out his territory; a phonic palisade, which he surveys with vain conviction.
Contented in solitude, he slides into symphonic soliloquy; preening at the sumptuousness of his stereotypic performance.
Halfway through the encore An unwanted response echoes his call. Susceptible to the vulgarity of this disturbance, he jumps down from his perch to confront his admirer; the repetition of his retort parading his position.
Bemused by his audience’s apparition he turns his ear to the ground, shakes his head, and returns to his own self-worth: the virility of youth untroubled by he artifice of age
Sam Illingworth,
Manchester University, UK
