Have you ever seen a duck come in to land… on land
It’s an eventuality that nature never planned
For ducks that land on water such a graceful splashdown make
But should they land on terra firma… it sure ain’t Swan Lake
Each one does a belly flop, a cartwheel and a stagger
They get up and compose themselves, but ducks weren’t made to swagger
They have no shame so simply waddle with ungainly gait
Toward the back door of my house where they all stand and wait
This morning there were six of them, I watched them all crash down
“They’ll need a pint or two of seed,” I muttered with a frown
Their heads were first to hit the deck, their rumps stuck in the air
I went out with a jug of seed to find them gathered there
As I stepped outside I felt like Moses on the shore
The ducks made space for me to walk and not a hair’s breadth more
Two partridges were standing by and I also fed those
And when the pecking finished, well, I almost checked my toes.
Bird seed by the quarter-gallon gobbled up each time
I wouldn’t mind but it ain’t half a kilo for a dime
But it gives me pleasure and as I stood there this morn
Two more kamikaze ducks crash landed on my lawn.
Like laughter, rustling in the trees
Feathered prayers always at ease
Whispering wishes, graceful peace
Joyful wings who will never cease
Honest dreams, always in the air
Gentling those spirits who will share
Lovely hope, wonders to increase
Joyful wings who will never cease
Guarded secrets silence all doubt
Lively hearts gesture and call out
Watching the charms of birds and geese
Joyful wings who will never cease
Like laughter, rustling in the trees
Joyful wings who will never cease
A Simple Pleasure Poetry Contest
Sponsored by Julia Ward
Watching birds in the garden
February 6, 2023
Form: kyrielle sonnet
Be kind to your wild feathered friends,
For they have much important work to do
They scatter seeds, they fertilize too,
And influence our latest fashion trends.
written July 9, 2021
You're an early bird
I'm a night owl ~
yet whenever we write
the world is alright
birdfeeder
brimming with seeds
ready for take out
soaring sapphire skies
piously passively perched
fickle feathered friends
5 7 5 syllables
July.24.2018
Bird themed haiku
Sponsored by: Tania Kitchin
N/A for contest
PETA Sings, “Oh How We Love
Our Feathered Friends”
By Elton Camp
For the rights of birds, PETA is an advocate
Those who mistreat them, they truly do hate
A flock of blackbirds plagued a neighborhood
To drive them away, residents did all they could
A PETA member learned of their cruel plot
And said to do such wrong, they should not
“Blackbirds have the same right to live as you.
You should happily tolerate damage they do.”
“Their chattering sounds like sweet music to me.
Bird droppings on your cars I don’t mind to see.”
The folks finally forced the birds to move away
To the PETA member’s block they went to stay
When his own car the filthy droppings did cover
“Kill those birds,” yelled the fickle animal lover
Souls from above come down from the sky
For all to see with their naked eyes
If only I had the expansion upon thy back
But Gods will all of this thee lack
The wondrous soaring from tree to tree
What beauty there must be in being so free
The markings so polite to this tiny being
For it cannot be a mirage what I am seeing
When they feel they come down upon the earth
The birds visit and tease me and they flirt
With all the inner desires to become one
A distinct vision at once and then it's gone
As I look upon thy inward eye
Oh how I do wish I could fly
1985
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