Imported Curvaceousness Times Itself from India
The pheasant came from Rome, the Normans, or
From who knows where? The feathers of its coat
Say they were from an Indian king, and ore
From Rajasthan. Cock pheasants almost gloat
With beauty from the golden copper of
Karnataka, Bihar and edicts from
A throne. Beyond the white throat band, above
It emperors’ emeralds glow dark. They hum
In silence all the way from far east zones
Like Ajmer. Shoulders and the back are set
With amber ermine, blackest flecks. Then tones
Of purple amber down the chest shine wet.
Both Rome and Normans were ho hum compared
To gorgeousness on pheasants, beauty squared.
~ Phillip Whidden