Flights of Stairs by A.S.J Tessimond

Stairs fly as straight as hawks;

Or else in spirals, curve out of curve, pausing

At a ledge to poise their wings before relaunching.

Stairs sway at the height of their flight

Like a melody in Tristan;

Or swoop to the ground with glad spread of their feathers

Before they close them.

They curiously investigate The shells of buildings,

A hollow core, Shell in a shell.

Useless to produce their path to infinity

Or turn it to a moral symbol,

For their flight is ambiguous, upwards or downwards as you please;

Their fountain is frozen, Their concertina is silent.