My friend, and your friend, >> Leila <<, who is an avid reader and secret gamer, sent me a beautifully written, but incredibly sad, poem that she'd penned a decade ago.
Leila is movement impaired and has been home alone, with Jenty the cat, for the entirety of lockdown.
I asked her if she'd like me to share her poignant poem on my author blog and she agreed. : )
Here it is...


Epitaph

I witnessed a death today
A fledgling bird has passed away
Just a “baby bird” folks might say
But its right to life was taken away
Outside was warm and the sky was blue
It happened near where my ash tree grew

My cat Bren was watching at the window sill
Her tail was twitching. She was suddenly still
This prompted me to take a quick look
So I rose to my feet and put down my book
There on the grass was a dreadful sight
A baby blackbird in a terrible plight

A magpie at least ten times its size
Was killing the baby before my eyes
With a warning shout, I rushed to the door
The magpie hopped off, then came back for more
It was dive-bombed by the mother and father bird
Their screams of fear could clearly be heard

I ran to where the twitching baby lay
It was obviously in a very bad way
The magpie, however, was determined to stay
To carry on with this ghastly affray
The little one writhed and cheeped in pain
Then the killer bird returned and pecked it again

I yelled at it loudly as I drew near
The magpie retreated but showed no fear
From the fence, the parents watched anxiously
As I reached their baby and knelt down to see
But my dash to its rescue had all been in vain
The baby’s life was beginning to wane

It slowly toppled over onto its back
Claws in the air, eyes clouded and slack
I stood at a distance respectfully
Allowing the parents their baby to see
The mother flew down, gave a mournful cry
It hurt me so much to watch it die

I know it’s true that it’s nature’s way
The baby was the magpie’s natural prey
But for me the blue sky had turned to grey
I buried the little bird in the ground
Hearing behind me the mother’s sad sound
The killer magpie was no longer to be found

Watched by Bren I slowly walked away
Knowing she too would have had her way
If she wasn’t a house cat who inside must stay
On that truth, there’s nothing I can say
I went back in the house to the window sill
All the birds were long gone and the day was still


L.M. Wilson – Saturday, May 15th 2010