Little Fledgling Crow - Diane Scantlebury

Little fledgling crow
Trying hard to fly,
Beneath the watchful scrutiny
Of anxious parental eye,
Sprawled on sunny patio
Pretending hard to laze,
Kitty yawns with nonchalance
But keeps baby in its gaze,

Suddenly as if from nowhere
Comes an ear piercing cry,
Two crows in a frenzy
Tumble through the sky,
Wings in fury flapping
In a menacing, aerobatic display,
Circling, diving, passing
Neither giving way,
Swooping and plunging
In arcs terrifying, but majestic,
Was this a rival’s tussle
Or a crows’ domestic?

Meanwhile the fledge
Shakily makes it into the air,
Oblivious of the protective efforts
Its parents have made for their welt,
Kitty sits up and smugly observes,
Licks her lips and smiles
As if butter wouldn’t melt.

Diane Scantlebury