NaPM April 04, 2017

[dukealien]

Winged Narcissus


One sunny early afternoon
a rapping, tapping, scuttling
as if from pebbles thrown
disturbed the kitchen, near its window.
Was it mice from under-counter
or perhaps a squirrel hanging
from the gutter or a twig?
It sounded big.
Nothing underneath the sink
but at the window something gray
fluttered, flew away
with a cry of “chickadee!”
So that settled what it was
though motive stayed unclear ~
until just yesterday it started
there again.  Through slightly parted
blinds a small gray face appeared:
not a chickadee but titmouse
tapping passionately at
the window with its silver Mylar
mirror-insulating film,
night-black crystal eyes in pleading
football-player sable patches
then with two or three demented
pecks the bird flew off.

Only to return at evening
rapping on a different window
having learned that other bird,
dreamed-of lover or
opponent to be thwarted
lived somewhere inside.
If I had to see in every
mirror that face, hot black eyes
in dead-black Joker patches I’d
fly into madness, too.

This one was already in the works, may be edited later from this rough 1.5th draft.  But how do I get rid of the blamed bird?  The tapping is making me crazy!