On The Counting Of Birds
By Quilliam Horace Flint, Hound Dog Poet of Four Harbors Audubon Society
My person has returned from wandering
around
Looking for creatures that needed to be
found.
Well, maybe not found as if lost they were,
But they needed counting; you see,
this is important to her.
It seems hard to believe, but she was
out seeking birds,
Searching for droves, flocks, and great
herds.
Out seeking birds? I hear you remark.
Yes, birds like the cardinal and meadowlark.
You see she was hunting them, though not to
kill;
It's seeing them fly, perch, and peck
that gives her a thrill.
(Yes, I know what you mean -- that doesn't
do it for me;
I'd be searching for ways to get up that darn
tree!)
She gets up quite early, even before we rise,
Stretching and yawning and rubbing her
eyes.
Then after taking good care of us here,
She bundles up warmly, hoping it stays clear
So she can wander all through the woods
And drive along spotting birds in
neighborhoods.
This is a very strange practice, on that I
agree,
And not a good time for Sparkplug or me,
Although Pandy had once tracked a jay
Who'd made the mistake of coming her way,
But I can't see Snickers doing this sort of
thing
And Henry just likes to romp and to sing.
Apparently, though, she has to track them for
miles
And doing this seems to bring many smiles.
Hmmm.....although birds do not quite catch
my eye,
I think maybe that this penchant of hers does
belie
Something in common that we do share,
Why, the very same thing that makes me
chase a hare.
Yes, she's a tracker! And rather like the
hound,
Who sniffs and scents with his nose to the
ground,
She does this with birds high up in the sky
Using, instead of her nose, her two eyes!
I knew it! There's very much of the hound
dog in her,
Which is why she loves us and doesn't view
us as curs.
So if she in the counting of birds delights,
That's fine with me and seems quite right --
But this feeding of squirrels has just got to
go;
Why she does that I never will know.
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