by Barbara Brooks

Sing sharply on

your first note,

follow with a

softer call. Assert

your presence sitting

on the fence,

nibble the suet

dropping to ground

to retrieve scraps,

let the chickadee

share the feast.

You prattle on;

something is scaring

you. Perhaps a cat or

sharp-shinned hawk.

Dive into piled

brush to hide.

Sing loudly

tea-kettle

coast is clear.

Barbara Brooks, the author of the chapbooks The Catbird Sang, A Shell to Return to the Sea, and Water Colors, is a retired physical therapist. Her work has appeared in Knee Brace Press, Remington Review, Silkworm among others. She lives in Hillsborough, NC with her dog.