Sun crept back in slow retreat
As twilight began to top
All creatures back to their homes beneath
A lonely bird did hop
Moon appeared in slow delight
Predators rose from sleep
Little creatures hid out of sight
The poor bird began to weep
At dawn it flew from its nest up high
Into the woods so deep
Gather food and return by night
Alas! It's fate so bleak
As it flew picking worms
Through hollows and underbrush
A hunter's gun fired through its wing
After it his Retriever rushed
The bird went down to the ground
The canine to do his name
It let out a shrieking sound
And from its beak a worm escaped
It made its landing with a thud
The dog drew closer still
Used it's brains hid behind mud
From its beak no more would spill
The bird catcher came and sniffed around
But couldn't find his master's kill
The scent of blood all abound
The bird stood perfectly still
After a search all in vain
The soft mouth gave up and left
Holding still despite the pain
The bird breathed bereft
The marksman and his Golden one
Had made their walk away
Little birdy saw the setting sun
And knew it had a long way
For miles and miles it dragged on
Unable to fly, what a sin!
Unfamiliar with the ground it hopped
A bird with a broken wing
Through shadows and foliage it crept alone
Careful not to draw a hungry eye
It's very wing keeping it down
Each step a painful sigh
The home tree it now stood before
Long last the painful trip
Now only to climb up before
A predator came to rip
A jungle cat, agile extended claws
Made way to the defenseless bird
Hunting birds without flaws
A flightless one, be terr'd
The bird saw death in its eye
A feline the size of prime
High up the tree, a home of rye
The bird knew it had no time
The cat sprang on in a flash
The bird jumped on a single wing
Avoiding the deadly clash
An elegy the trees began to sing
Talon finding the familiar bark
A tiny ray of hope
With all its might it made a dart
Up the vertical slope
The cat made a final leap
Claws at the fleeting prey
Through the air a fatal sweep
But the bird bolted away
Away and away, until it reached the top
A Twig and reed woven nest
Into it the little birdie hopped
Finally it could rest
Inside waited three hungry beaks
Crying and open wide
Into each a worm it dropped
And at last heaved a sigh
The worms it picked with great delight
Until it's wing got bore
Trudged on through the entire night
With great care to not spill more
The jungle cat saw the bird up high
Feeding chicks inside the reed
Walked away into the night
For it too had babies to feed
But the days ahead would be too hard
In this untamed, unforgiving wild
For how long can a flightless bird
Afford to feed its child?
