Bird on a Bay Window by Hank Kalet

Bird on a Bay Window
By Hank Kalet

black-feathered birds
do battle
sweep in with the scraps
of our weekend raking
in small beaks
the thatched undergrowth
scraped to the surface
placed atop the bay window
relentless they return
no matter how often
I clear the ledge
mud stains dead grass
five times maybe six this morning
this orange-breasted bird
swoops in and away
oblivious to my repeated
retaliations