An Ancient Feud Poem by Raymond Farrell

Today
As I sit
Under the locust tree
This last day of April
The late Spring heat
Has caused everything to bloom
The moove bush
Is loaded with blossoms
As I sit
Letting the heat
Glove-like entrap me
In its embrace
I notice a fat black and white cat
Sitting under a nearby ginko tree
Looking up into its foliage
Of green fan-shaped leaves
Nervously
He glances up, then around
Suddenly
Into my peripheral scope of vision
A black bird with a yellow bill
Swoops down
Dive bombing the cat
Who stands his ground
Attempting to swat
The bird out of the air
The ritual repeats itself
Three more times
This ancient feud
Between a domesticated cat and native bird
On display
Causes me to intervene
(The cat is not hungry
But is exercising its instincts
For wanton pleasure
Without thought
The cat's owner
Has let it out to roam
Another case of humans
Indirectly and irresponsibly
Allowing havoc to be wreaked
On the local ecology
Yearly thousands of native birds
Are killed by roaming domesticated felines)
I rose from my seat
Clapped my hands and took two steps
Towards the cat, and he was off
Scurrying through the scrubs
Through the iron fence bars
And across the nearby yard
No doubt he will return soon
But for now
The nestlings are safe.