By Marilyn Jones, Schoolcraft’s Poet Laureate
This morning I had a visitor
As I sat on my kitchen chair,
The door was open to my back porch
And I saw a gorgeous, red cardinal there.
Sometimes I get a squirrel or a chipmunk
Then I clap my hands and stomp my feet,
Sparrows express their opinion on my steps
It makes extra work, keeping it neat.
But this time I sat very quietly
So as not to disturb that bird,
And would you believe…I was even
Willing to clean up his nasty turd.
I asked, “Where is Mrs. Cardinal?”
Perhaps she’s sitting on a nest in a tree,
He leaned his neck way forward
To look through the screen at me.
Out in the garage is some bird food
I’ll put some out for him today,
It seemed as if he understood me
Of course, I was bribing him to stay.
And perhaps he will sing a song
When I need a cheerful sound,
“Will you be my friend, Mr. Cardinal?
Won’t you please stick around?”
Our world is in such turmoil
Why can’t the leaders see?
If we conducted ourselves the way birds do
We could all live happy and peacefully.