A Poem on the Website of
the Red Dirt Writers Society

Sparrows in the Yard
by Larry Foreman (Jan 2012)

I love to watch the birds and hear them chirp and sing,
But my yard has few trees and shrubs to give them shelter
From the blasts of storms and from the heat and cold.

I hung a feeder in my one lone tree to entice the sparrows
To visit me in the mornings. It took awhile for them
To find the smorgasboard of seeds swinging gently.

The House Sparrows found it first and flocked around.
They thrashed their feet and scattered seeds on the soil.
Some sprouted into a bright green lawn among my flowers.

Then the Lark Sparrows found the seeds on the ground.
They didn’t like the feeder and preferred to peck in the dirt.
Their brightly colored faces fascinated my eyes.

Now it’s winter, and the Lark Sparrows have found another nook.
The House Sparrows stay on to hide deeply in the dense shrubs
Near my front door where the wintry winds don’t reach.

I loathe to exit by the front because they fly from the bushes
As though I posed a threat. I don’t want to put them in distress.
But it’s my house, too, and I must come and go sometimes.

I think neighbors have to learn to get along and not
Be bothered by the coming of one and going of another.
We all have our jobs to do and families to care for.

I put out the seed expecting no thanks or adoring love,
And I’m not using the bushes where they take shelter.
I see them through my window and hope they stay a while.




Site Map

HOME           ShortStories           Essays           Poems         Websites      

Meetings         Comments         ContactUs         Members


This is the website of the Red Dirt Writers Society.
Revised January 2012.