The Ravens

The ravens are a native bird—
     They flourish by the sea
And congregate in numbers on
     The branches of our tree.

The ravens and the cypress tree
     They habitate are bound
By bonds that are as strong as those
     That tie me to the ground.

Whenever one or two arrive,
     It isn't long before
Their ragged, raucous raven cries
     Soon summon several more.

They flap and hop and hope to find
     An unprotected nest;
A secret cache of finches' eggs
     Is what they like the best.

In their defence, they scare away
     The less desirable—
The starlings who proliferate
     In numbers biblical.

Upon the whole, the ravens are
     More welcome than deplored,
Although we would prefer to hear
     The finches' pffft restored.


©2016 Michael Fraley




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