Have you seen the cuckoo bird
With raven-coloured wing?
Although I haven’t seen one yet
I’ve often heard her sing.
The cuckoo on our champak tree
Is hidden from our sight
Because the leaves are thick and close
But how she sings at night!
‘Cuckoo… cuckoo’ says the bird
‘I may be dark, it’s true
But there is not a single bird
That sings the way I do!’
(C) Swapna Dutta
Word treasure
- champak
- — a type of Indian tree with beautiful flowers
- raven-coloured
- — black or dark brown in colour, like a raven's feathers
- thick
- — having a lot of substance or density
- hidden
- — not visible or not easily seen
✦ the end ✦
Reproduced with permission. © Swapna Dutta
