Aggressive Birds and Alley Cats

Written for fun after listening to a radio programme

dare you venture close to reeds
where river swans are nesting
be warned you won't be welcome
.
for never have I witnessed
such aggression when cygnets
are deemed under threat
.
white wing span all aflap
will loom large while sharp beaks
will attack visciously
.
then there are the other "birds"
falling out of the local boozer
after a night of exotic cocktails
.
what a sight for sore eyes
as strays come outside
claws sharpened ready to fight
.
for a randy gods gift tom cat
lapping up all the action
over a poke in a back alley
.

Reviews

[barleygirl]

I love your fresh artful depiction of this everyday phenomenon that most of us walk right by without commemorating it in a poem! I've watched a number of aggressive birds -- woodpeckers dive-bombing squirrels that try to climb the telephone pole to get their stash, geese in a local pond that keep the joggers moving along briskly, & last but not least, my hawks that circle over my cabin while erasing rodents -- one bashed into my window just the other day (my cabin is all windows, front & back, so the birds bash my windows pretty often, but never a huge bird like a hawk!) Anyhow, naturalists are against cats in the wilderness becuz they are so damaging to the various bird populations . . . however, I see it differently . . . I see the birds holding their own & I love that you write a snazzy poem about it! (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Margie, and for sharing so much about the region you live. Take care with those wild fires about my friend.

Chris

[Andrew John]

Not just exotic cocktails, but flowing pints of 5% beer - even stronger. Some great images here, and we compare the whiteness of something beautiful that can also be dangerous, with the less-than-white nature of some drunkards. So much can happen in back alleys. Thanks, Chris.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Andrew. An old poem out for a breath of air, but keeping away from back alleys lol. Nothing worse than seeing drunken women fighting over a bloke.

Chris

[Neville]

Ooh err Matron .. now there's a thing .. I get the idea loud n clear me duck ... Neville

[Chris Shaw]

Them drunken birds aren’t just aggressive, they are ugly with it. Inspired by an item in the news. Long time ago. Thanks quackers for diving in and bringing this one to the surface:))

Chris

[Neville]

I know wot ya mean, I've met one or two of em before .. N.

[Vertigo Cat1111]

I love poems about the little things! We pass by cats chasing birds (or maybe, just maybe, the other way around) every day, and you always seem to have great words to tell a poem about it. Cats and birds are both chaotic in their own ways.

[Chris Shaw]

Many thanks for checking this one out. So much appreciated.

Chris

[Vertigo Cat1111]

No problem it’s my pleasure!

[John Alexander McFadyen]

I have to say the sudden switch of direction took me completely by surprise. The first three stanzas I was following as 'Chrisness' then wham! that juxtapositioning of the 'birds' exiting the local public houses was quite unexpected. An effective way to draw the reader in then surprise them!

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you John. Every now and again I like to go off the beaten track with my poetry. I like that this happened here. Good morning.

Chris

[Aradhana]

the thing that i inferred from this is that things that look quite pleasing on the surface can be as vicious too.. And the birds and cats and swans all those things are just so much relatable up there!! u indeed observe the nature with great care and interest coz to watch things it is nothing but to write them in such a way and in simple deep manner is not a child's play! U are genius !!!!!!! love ur work!!:)

[Chris Shaw]

How lovely of you to call on more of my work. Yes observation of nature can find common things with human behaviour. Beautiful creatures and people alike can be vicious. I really appreciate your time. Thank you so much.

Chris

[Aradhana]

I am thankful that I can across such a wonderful art... really I mean it :)

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you:)

[T.S. Ulmus]

A beautiful write, drunks spilling out of a bar equated to the tomcat going after geese, or maybe swans. I've known cats that would try to take down a bison because they were so full of themselves, a great metaphor. Also birds are mean.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you so much for leaving a review. Most appreciated.

Chris

[...]

You make my morning. Beautiful scenery at few words. Simple but deep . Moments filled with true and beauty. I wonder if you ever read it Mary Oliver cause i feel quite simulate touch of nature here. Nicely done here and have Beautiful Sunday.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Martin. I have never read Mary Oliver, although I have heard of her. I am happy to have added value to your Sunday morning. That makes me happy.

Chris

[Ted Kniffen]

Ah yes, those aggressive swans ... can break a leg with a swat of their wings. As for those other birds hiding in the alleyways with sharpened claws, I can only think of the Beatles song "This Bird Has Flown".
Tom cats and alley cats struggling through the dark.

Well done Chris.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Ted and for the reminder of the magnificent Beatles.

Chris

[DIVYA]

A thing of beauty can turn into a thing of fire for the sake of survival. Yet, what a contrast you draw between the fury of these lovely avians and the fury of the drunken alley cats. One fighting for life, the other for mere lust. It's here that your great observational powers and your skill with words comes to fore, dear Chris. Every poem of yours has something so unique and refreshing to convey!

[Chris Shaw]

Dear DIVYA you bestow high praise on me and for that dear friend I am truly thankful as I am always for your visits.
.
Chris

[Patricia Wedel]

dear Chris... the correlation between the Swans on the River Bank and the Cocktails effect on an Alley Cat is predictable. At our previous home, we had feral cats and they would harass the Birds and worse. Now we live in a Bird Sanctuary and near the Rappahannock River where Terns and Eagles live in Serenity. Most people keep their Cats indoors. My two Cats have a large Sunporch all to themselves, as our two-story home would be a Mess, otherwise. Snowflake and Clover have been spade and neutered... so sad. Rarely see any neighbors Cats outside which is not Nature’s way. Twice we had a Strange pure Gold Tabby on our back porch railing where I feed the Birds constantly—
Much to the entertainment for our Sunporch Cats. Your poem is delightful with a touch of humor. truly, Pat

[Chris Shaw]

Dear Pat, so pleased you picked up on the humour. Thank you for sharing your cats with me. I am a huge fan of the domestic sort. Have a wonderful Friday. We are on the river and it is very blowy today. Fondly.

Chris