The band are already playing

There is a building: go inside

The Rake's Song

Through the city and out the other side

They told us about a place, beyond the forest

In the morning, we spoke to our neighbours

The sun faded from the sky

The accommodation was basic

Foreground / I Live With You / Fix It [special presentation for Pitchfork.tv]

The path was treacherous

We sought solitude instead

Soon there was no space to lay our towels

The invaders came by sea

They covered every surface

We were not alone

There were strange tracks in the sand

When the morning came, something was wrong

Duck Love

The grass waves in the breeze, rippling along the edges of the banks

And beaches that encircle the bay.

The brittle spring light reflects from the backs of birds

Skimming low over the water

As they fly across the bay.

At the end of the day, as the evening gloom

Spreads and the moon grows bright,

You arrive with a rustle and a thump,

On the shore of the island in the bay.

Your voice is as soft as your hesitant steps,

Calling out as you pass among us:

I call back and you come close and sit down next to me.

The gravel shifts beneath your body

As you fidget into place.

It always take you a little while to settle,

To become comfortable.

Your movements bring you closer, until I can feel your heat.

As our feathers intermingle,

Your scent fills the front of my head and my chest,

As I breathe you in.

You smell of reeds and rushes,

Of the clear water in the brooks that feed into the bay.

You smell of the air,

You smell like home.

In the dark, beneath the stars, you turn toward me:

“How are the kids?”, you whisper.

I shuffle on the nest, moving the eggs into a more comfortable arrangement,

“They were tapping on the shells earlier.”

“Any day now,” I can hear the pride in your voice.

I tuck my beak beneath my wings and listen to the foxes bark on the mainland.

“Any day”, I murmur.

You cock your head at the sound of the prowling foxes.

“Go to sleep. I’ll keep watch.”

I watch your head sink to your chest and think of the others who came before you.

Who promised to keep watch, over me,

And our children.

But slept for long enough

To allow the foxes to find us.

I hope you are quicker, and more alert,

And I keep one eye open.

For all of us.

We lay down to the sound of breaking waves

We found a comfortable place for the night

The beach is ours

Their cries spurred us on

Spectators lined the route

The shadows of castles shaded the trail

We decided that it was time to leave...