Box of birds

Sweeping dirt and leaves

Washing it all down

With mindless curiosity

A Blue Jay greets

In the same tone

He always has

I live on the other side

of the planet now

Tin man hangs rusting

A red heart outside his chest

I want to take him home

to nurture

Ministry of Agriculture

would lock me up

& throw away the key

Ten years on from

the tin anniversary

he has not deteriorated

he hangs alone

No seed at his feet

Mr Blue Jay comments

I say yeah, yeah, yeah

I know

I left, I left, I left

he tilts his head and listens

ready to mock me

birds in the Southern Hemisphere

aren’t this needy

a chickadee scoffs

as she picks bugs from pine

I miss these characters

now we have

nosey Tuis

laughing Rosellas

drunk Kererū

& tauhou fluttering

with subtle acts of exclusion

Thanks for reading, and as always-thanks to Franco Amati for publishing my work in Scuzzbucket.