Peter Makuck: Grackles

They darken the morning, 
      hog the feeder,
keep chickadees, 
titmice, and finches
from the millet 
and sunflower seeds.  
 
But when I appear 
      at the window, 
they hit the air.  
As long as I stay,
coffee in hand,
they keep their white eyes
and shiny black bodies
      at a distance
half hidden in the leaves.
But after a few minutes
they become bold and
      like dark thoughts
return
unless I try another way
to keep them at bay. 

Peter Makuck’s many books include Mandatory Evacuations (BOA, 2016).

Copyright 2019 Peter Makuck