life's cheap

Cheep cheep chirrup
tits flutter to and fro the hedge and the feeder on next door's wall. I
watch them guzzle, their round fluffy tummies ruffled in the wind. They
are brave, though. You wouldn't catch me (or at least I hope you
wouldn't, should the situation arise) dangling a few feet above that
cat; she caught one of the forsythia family last week, only a few weeks
hatched. Daft bugger he was. Only just learned to fly and ate so much
his wings couldn't carry him back home. I blame all this junk food. I
ask you. Peanuts!
Mind you, you can't blame them, really. All those sprays. Not so many
greenfly there these days. Or caterpillars, come to that. Peanuts is
about all there is. Used to be a very respectable thrush, what was her
name? Ah, I'm getting old. She went soon after these new humans came
in. It was heart breaking, watching her growing thinner and thinner,
eagerly turning over promising snails only to find them empty shells.
Towards the end she forced herself to eat the poisoned ones still
inside. Ah yes, now I remember what happened.
I'm lucky, this is only a little patch, but I'm left to myself. The old
human potters in and out. I may be a foolish old bird, but I'm sure he
likes my song. Often, when I'm in full fling, I look round to see him,
head cocked, smiling at me. It used to put me off a bit, but he's never
made any move to hurt me. Come to think of it, haven't seen him for a
while -
OOooh is that a worm??? it IS
Got to get my strength up. Beak's gone yellow. There's that nice little
bird four doors down on the left. I'll practice my new song in a bit.
Got the second bit off a sound I heard through next door's wall.
That'll impress the ladies I thought to myself. I start off kind of
traditional, you know, the long spooling bit, and then sort of slide it
into that, but I've put in some twirls of my own, and then after that,
I just let rip, you know, just how I feel at the time, about being a
blackbird, in the spring in the prime of life, sun warming my feathers,
wet grass under foot, worms under the grass sort of thing
WORM. Ooooh that was JUICY. YUM
I bet you think I've just been sitting here wittering don't you? But I
haven't. I've been bouncing up and down, up and down this bit of grass.
Brings them up, see? Daft buggers, worms, but they can be quick, oh
yes. You can't hang about when it comes to catching worms! And I'm not,
that's how I've lived so long. I'm the oldest bird on this street, you
know. I was here before that honeysuckle next door but one. Before the
flower bed across the road - waste of time that was, bloody mulch. Poor
blighter tried it on there spent most of the time wading through wood
chippings, worms were long gone. And then they made the rest gravel.
Didn't stand a chance. Tried to muscle in here, but I soon put him
right. That song was one of my best, though I say so myself. Last I
heard he was trying to make it in the park, but then so are so many
others. It's tough these days. I'm lucky this patch is so small, it
gets overlooked
Where was I?
Hm, might just have a go at these leaves under the hedge
WORM
drat, missed it. I'm not as quick at the old leaf tweaking as I was.
Still, they're here, I'll try my luck a while longer.
Good Heavens! That's a big lorry. I'm all of a work. Phew. Safe in my
old hedge. Ah, who are these humans? Come to think of it, saw them last
week, poking about. What's all this? What's all this???

Well, it's been a few weeks now. I'm hanging in here. It has it's good
points, I guess. If the little human runs about, it saves me having to
do the bouncing, but I hate just sitting here in the hedge, watching,
waiting till she's gone so I can come down. The dawn is still mine of
course. I practice my song then. Not sure why. The bird I was thinking
of's gone with that pushy one come in from the new supermarket. I asked
him why he didn't stay there, heard there were some berry bushes in the
carpark, but he said they aren't edible. And it's all paved where it's
not tarmacced. Ah well, you can't blame him, she's a nice little bird.
Still, her call catches at me
What's this, what's this?
They're digging up my grass! OOOOOOoh Look at all that Earth! WOW, I'VE
NEVER SEEN SO MANY WORMS! Oh, PLEASE just go away so I can get some,
PLEASE. Oh, I'm so excited, I feel my song bursting out of me, I can't
help it!
They've gone
WORMS
WORMS
hic
worms
I've never eated so much in my life
Helloooooo, haven't seen you before, sweetheart! Yes, of course you can
share, there's plenty for us both!
Oh no, they're back. Let's watch from my hedge
What are they DOING?
!~~)))*= that's a pretty name, mine's -
OH NO
WHY ARE THEY COVERING IT UP?
Oh, are you off?
MY GRASS!
STOP!!!!!!!!

I'm hungry. It's never been this bad before, not even in that really
hard winter, when was it?
Can't think straight these days. I'm so HUNGRY, and it's SPRING. It's
going to be frosty tonight, I think: nothing I couldn't handle with
some food inside me. The tits keep fluttering past, blast them. I'm
getting so desperate I'd try peanuts, they're bound to have dropped
some little bits I might manage, though I'm not a nut eater, but that
cat's always there? There's a new kind of feeder, apparently. Some
finches have moved in, tell me it's got seeds in, but I'm not made for
clinging like they are. Bouncing's my thing. You can't bounce on these
planks. I'm so COLD.

*************************************************************************

/
"What's that piece of rubbish on the decking? Eugh! it's a dead bird.
That black one been moping about. Better get rid of it before the girls
see it, would break their hearts, when they've been putting food out
for it and all. Must be global warming"

/
They sat in the sun "This is just like those make over programs, you
are clever" she smiled, kissed him. "Not bad for only thirty quid, eh?"
They sipped their drinks. Rachel played with her dolls. "It's so quiet,
put the radio on, love"