Louise Bogan’s “Decoration” describes a macaw perched in a tree, all vivid color and pattern but strangely cut off from the world—deaf, mute, and frozen in a kind of royal frustration. The speaker’s gaze lingers on its harsh, almost painful beauty: the sky splits behind it, leaves clutch light until it bleeds, and its wings scrape the eye with too much color. Meanwhile, ordinary evening life continues quietly: a flower opens, lovers press out their grief. The mood is lush and uneasy, mixing wonder at the bird’s prismatic splendor with a sense of isolation. The final image of a crystal tree dropping a crystal leaf feels delicate, artificial, and faintly sad—as if beauty here is something displayed rather than truly alive.
Decoration — Summary
A macaw preens upon a branch outspread With jewelry of seed. He's deaf and mute. The sky behind him splits like gorgeous fruit And claw-like leaves clutch light till it has bled. The raw diagonal bounty of his wings Scrapes on the eye color too chafed. He beats A flattered tail out against gauzy heats; He has the frustrate look of cheated kings. And all the simple evening passes by: A gillyflower spans its little height And lovers with their mouths press out their grief. The bird fans wide his striped regality Prismatic, while against a sky breath-white A crystal tree lets fall a crystal leaf.