The Tricky Chickadee

Posted on 2021-01-27 by Bartholomew Barker

The Tricky Chickadee

He sneaks into my yard
all sharp and tenacious,
wearing a face mask
as we all do these days.

He rushes a sunflower,
steals savory seeds
right from its heart
then makes a frantic getaway.

From the safety of his gang
high in the trees,
he shares a joyful snicker
at our human gravity.

In victory he cries—
trick-a-dee-dee-dee,
trick-a-dee-dee-dee,
trick-a-dee-dee-dee!

This is the poem I wrote with my pals at Charles House yesterday. We focused on bird poetry, including Dickinson’s Hope is the thing with feathers, Shelley’s To a Skylark and Frost’s The Last Word of a Bluebird, which seems to be a fun one he apparently wrote for his daughter Lesley.

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About Bartholomew Barker

Bartholomew Barker is an organizer of Living Poetry, a collection of poets in the Triangle region of North Carolina where he has hosted a monthly feedback workshop for more than decade. His first poetry collection, Wednesday Night Regular, written in and about strip clubs, was published in 2013. His second, Milkshakes and Chilidogs, a chapbook of food inspired poetry was served in 2017. He was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2021. Born and raised in Ohio, studied in Chicago, he worked in Connecticut for nearly twenty years before moving to Hillsborough where he lives and writes poetry.
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9 Responses to The Tricky Chickadee

  1. Lisa Tomey-Zonneveld's avatar Lisa Tomey says:
    2021-01-27 at 21:23

    He’s pretty fortunate.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  2. Cassa Bassa's avatar Cassa Bassa says:
    2021-01-27 at 22:04

    That’s delightful! The face mask 👍😁

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  3. JeanMarie's avatar JeanMarie says:
    2021-01-27 at 23:07

    Nice. Bird poetry is a welcome breath of air after the slew of political frenzy,

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  4. Brandon Ellrich's avatar Brandon Ellrich says:
    2021-01-28 at 00:03

    That’s a cute one.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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