Bird Takeaway
I've put out a festive feastFor the feathered diners:
Peanuts, coconut, fat balls,
Mealworms and various seeds.
I'm watching from behind
My net curtain hide, hoping
Mrs Smart at number 54
Doesn't get the wrong impression.
I don't want her heart to flutter,
Instead I'd like to be rewarded
For my avian altruism, to be
Uplifted by the beat of wings.
Here come the bovver boys,
Revving up the dank air,
Descending like hell's angels,
Starlings strutting their stuff.
Six birds, one sitting, squabble!
Look at those mealworms fly,
See the coconut sway like a gibbet,
The fat balls are well and truly toast.
What a din! What messy eaters!
The pecking order is plain to see,
He or she who has the longest beak
Takes the longest meal break.
And without asking for the bill,
The chapter of starlings disappears;
They'll be back, no doubt, pretending
To be of ornithological interest.
In the meantime, a house sparrow
Tidies up downstairs while upstairs
A blue tit takes its chance to choose
One of the last peanuts for safe keeping.
For unlike the ravenous visitors
Seeking immediate gratification,
This brightly coloured Christmas bauble
Hides the nut in a neighbouring hedge.
The bird-feeder is quiet now,
Time to make my lunch,
But not before I give a wave
To Mrs Smart at number 54.
Poetry by Christopher Fernie
Read 693 times
Written on 2016-12-09 at 12:36
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