I was standing on the old stone bridge when a kingfisher flew by below. Its brilliance of blues and orange tints lit up the drab autumn afternoon. Maybe it’s this dazzling plumage that makes kingfishers look so big. Or maybe it’s the bird’s chunky head and broad, black, dagger-like bill. Because in reality, kingfishers are the same size as house sparrows.
The bird had soon vanished from view, yet like a feathered firework, it left behind a bright after-glare, which continued to spin above the turbid, spating little river.
10 October 2019, The Tablet
Glimpses of Eden
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