There are birds in the darkness That douse electrical fires Flaring up in nursing homes And the bedrooms of blind men Birds you cannot see There are birds in the darkness That nest in wooden crutches Eye patches and bandages Broken spinal columns, pots of withered plants Birds you cannot see Filling every tree Falling out of closets And perched on the hands of dying men There are birds in the darkness That lead lost dogs off highways Steer boats past icebergs Save children stuck in wells Birds you cannot see There are birds in the darkness Seen by those with tumors Circling common light bulbs With blue feathered halos And the sound of rain Birds you cannot see Filling every tree Falling out of closets And perched on the hands of dying men