Far From the Hullabaloo

Stop the feud!  Time to get along!

The English sparrows have sparred

for days over whose bird house is

theirs.  A big fat sparrow clung

to a stick which came from inside

the house.  He tried to lay claim.

The house wrens had other thoughts.

Surrounding the sparrow from

all sides, they took turns diving down

swiftly from upper tree branches.  Each

blow to its head was met with unwavering

determination.  The sparrow stubbornly

refused to budge.  Thus, the skirmish

continued for days with the fat sparrow

surviving repeated blows to its head.

We took matters into our own hands to see

if we could get the battle to cease.

We mounted another bird house,

a larger one, to a different branch.

It seemed to work momentarily.

The tiny wren assumed ownership

of the smaller bird house.  After each

rainfall, it is enjoyable to watch the parade

unfold:  squirrels climbing branches,

chipmunks scampering about, a rabbit hopping

in our neighbor’s yard, birds flitting back and

forth.  Trees sway in the breeze to proffer

the music.    Let the parade begin!

It seems that Mrs. Robin had other thoughts

and found the perfect spot to build her nest

camouflaged in the hibiscus bush.  She prefers

to be far from the hullabaloo of the others.