Sitting on the porch railing
just beyond the glare of the back door
is a curious bird
quite polite, actually
he waited for all the birds to leave
before taking his meal
and he is watching me
through the glass
and he keeps checking the window
to peek in and make sure
I’m not doing anything exciting
and to make sure
I’m not watching him
with his feathers tousled in the wind
and to make sure
It’s okay for him to eat
the seeds in the cage
pounding a rhythm
with his pointy beak
into the suet
