This Year's Fledglings
I’d like to say they take
turns on the feeder’s perches,
but they ignore family ties
and peck at their siblings.
One red-headed male
lands on the feeder’s lid,
beyond the seed-yielding
perches. He flexes his wings,
claims that space, as if daring
the others to unseat him. They
ignore him, intent as they are,
on feeding and flying.
Martha Christina lives in Bristol, RI. She is a frequent contributor to Red Eft Review, and her work has also appeared in earlier issues of Star 82 Review, Crab Orchard Review, and the Tiny Seed Pollinator Project, among others.
See more of her work in 10.4 and 10.4 and 10.4 and 10.1 and 9.4 and and 9.3 and 9.3 and 9.2 and 9.2 and 8.2 and 8.2 and 7.4 and 7.3 and 7.2 and 6.3 and 6.3 again