beyond the rural bungalow's
ceiling-to-floor bay window
performances run on continuous play
all day-long

there's no special airing time
no cost, just have binoculars
and camera at the ready

here, deep in rural Ontario's
late winter
evergreens are laden in white
the birch, frost-flaunting

while on the home-made feeding stand -
a straight cedar post
with black-wrought candelabra top improvised
hang the seed cylinders, from strategious points
and in the centre
a bright orange net bag of suet
all of these stocked to treat
the species of birds flocking here
cardinals, nuthatches, finch, chickadees
and other varieties
(the Birders' Almanac kept handy)

who can ignore
the showboating jays?
displaying their colours
though not yet motorcycle gang members
proud wild mascots of blue
competing with the
red, brown, or lemon glory
of chiefly diminutive visitors
save some, like suet-loving Hairy Woodpeckers!

A sudden interloper intrudes
with his accomplice burglar too
(likely his mate)
the latter waiting on ground-level
as do the winged warblers
to feast on the sprinkled seeds that land
without the dramatic efforts from above

the trespasser who earns his meal
is a small red squirrel
with white-fluffed chest
worse hog than the jay
but appealing to watch
in his own right

a gymnast, he ends his scamper cross the field
by climbing the post and scrambling
into performance mode
his feet holding him fast to the post
while he stretches torso across
through mid-air to reach the top cylinder
leans on it, spins it round
to his heart's content
a balance feat worthy of the three-ringed Barnum's
no birds try to interfere

his eyes are white-ringed,
the reverse of a coon’s
his body larger than the chipmunk's
smaller than the black squirrel's

busy food-stuffing his cheeks
all the while he makes
agile moves up and down the post
head in and out the feeders, swinging to the breeze
he flips upside down for sunflower seeds
then runs across and does his stretch and balance act
no calorie -watching for limber lunch times

overflow is feed for mate or young
down below on snow mound
and venturing birds pecking their turns
even from the jays, he steals the show
and the lion's share, acrobatic little thief

all the performers take brief breaks
but through the binoculars or without
the feature attraction is on-going
and offers a
bird's-eye-view

02/20/2001

Posted on 01/02/2004
Copyright © 2025 Maureen Glaude