A peculiar heist,

Not diamonds, or money,

But a feather tryst.

 

Ornithological sabotage,

Born from a feather obsession.

Crime scene in Tring

from the Natural History Museum.

 

Feathers from specimens

Centuries old;

Species from long ago

 

Extinct.

 

Stuffed into a bag,

No reverence

For the history

Or the species.

 

Ornate, rare feathers,

Treasures

For fishing

Has become an art.

Fly-tiers’ lips

Are sealed

About the crime.

“You don’t want to piss us off.”