I envy them their close links to Mother Nature and I envy them their freedom of the sky <br />And I envy them their grace and natural beauty for a thing of natural beauty is a thing of joy <br />As Winter nears the swallows do not tarry off to the warmer climate they do fly <br />And I worry about myself and my needs are they not that much happier than I? <br /> <br />Today I watched the swallows o'er the paddocks chasing winged insects they flew to and fro <br />I envy them their carefree life and freedom restriction a thing they will never know <br />They are not shackled by worry like humans the gift of freedom is a marvellous thing <br />I watched them fly above the sunlit paddocks and as they flew I heard them chirp and sing. <br /> <br />Their span of time seems brief compared to our span but they know joy and freedom every day <br />And when the chilly winds of Fall blow colder to the warmer climate they will fly away <br />Their innocence until death will be with them they do not judge, begrudge or criticize <br />And all day long above the sunlit padocks they chase flying beetles, mosquitoes, bees and flies. <br /> <br />And all day long above the sunlit paddocks they chirp and twitter in the sunlit sky <br />And they do not seem to have a care or worry and they seem happier by far than I <br />And I envy them their freedom and their innocence and their carefree ways the man in me begrudge <br />These feathered children of the Goddess Nature who never envy criticize or judge.<br /><br />Francis Duggan<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/i-envy-them/
