Tuesday 28 November 2023

Kitty trouble

 



What is it about birds 

trapped in your kitchen

(by the agency of, in this case, your cat,)

that when you kindly oblige

 by locking up the predator

 and open the kitchen window

instead of freedom, 

the thrush opts for vigorous  thrash

against the wall, 

against the ceiling, 

against the tileback

shedding in the process 

a shower of wing feathers,

dusty grey-brown, pale fringed,

so light they're barely discernible 

to the touch.

 

You know what you need to do 

but there’s a reluctance

to grasp this pale buff underside

these frail pink legs 

and you’re perhaps a little wary

of this small, sharp uptilted beak


So you grab a tea towel instead

swaddle the bird in its folds

and marvel at the stillness-

the lack of struggle

only a tiny heart throb 

in the palm of your hand.

 

Once outside,and unwrapped,

 you expect flurry 

but instead it sits dazed

startled perhaps 

by the prospect of flight

and so you leave it there 

and wish it God speed

and keep the cat in 

for the foreseeable future

just in case…



Copyright 2023 Cathy Leonard

1 comment: