r/OCPoetry•3 yr. ago

I Always Feed the Birds in the Morning

Poem

A family of red-winged blackbirds moved into my backyard recently

Near the broken down shed, they made a home

Under a decaying, slumped over willow

Left to rot since I never care for it

They made a home

I never would have noticed them

Much less have wanted to help them

Although something about the family poked and prodded at my motivation

The little one had a limp and its feathers were torn

Either by accident or force, it was beaten, but still sang in the day

Research led me to think they would like seeds

Eventually, I gathered the courage to approach

Silently stepping towards their nest, I hung a feeder

Pouncing from the rubble, a streak of red and black attacked

Expert and precise beaks pecked at my hand and arm

Cursing the birds, I swung at them, then retreated to my home

Then a thought came to me: perhaps that was the first act of kindness they knew

For a while afterwards, I was afraid of the birds

Often thinking they were beyond redemption of rehabilitation

Understandably, I should have left them alone

Next thing I knew though, I found myself replacing their feeder each day

During the third week, I made them a birdhouse; during the fifth, one sat on my shoulder

Posted Jan 4, 2023, 6:16 PM UTC