Aubade Poem by Unnikrishnan Sivasankara Menon

Aubade

(1)
Twitter of sparrows
In the vegetable garden,
A peacock's shrill whistle
In the thickets at a distance,
A couple of mynas
making their nest
In the jack fruit tree
while talking their love,
A pair of doves
Murmuring prayers to Cupid,
the female couching
For her handsome mate to mount her.

(2)
Humming of the bees
where flowers abound
In all hues and colours
A plethora of varieties
An inimitable mix of fragrance
Cupid's blooming arrows everywhere
The coolest morning breeze
The morning sun bright
Spreads a veil of moonlight.

(3)
A female weaver bird
Has come to inspect
The nest built by her mate
Hanging off the coconut tree leaf.
She likes it perhaps, for he is invited
To join her in the nest for a few moments
And together they fly off into the skies
Chirping madly, their voice laced with love.

(4)
A parakeet in a green coat
And with a ruby necklace
Chirped to her fiancé
While gnawing at a ripe papaya.

(5)
A flock of jungle barblers
Scrounging in the grains
Spread in the yard for drying
For worms and insects
Making a big hue and cry,
Suddenly flock to the mango tree
With loud protests
For, Panther, my pet cat
Has just moved in,
With his soft but ominous meow.
A pair of squirrels
That were eagerly eyeing the grains
Run up the Ashoka tree in a miff,
Squeaking loudly to warn their mates
Of the feline danger imminent.

(6)
At a distance, I hear a raven crow
As a pack of dogs go wild barking
And Panther quietly retreating
To the safety under the car.

(7)
In my neighbor's barn
Despite the dogs' warn
His cows take turns to moo
Refusing the grass loose
Calling on their bull,
A goat bleats in the distance
Maybe looking for shade.

(8)
A large flock of cranes
Make a loud cacophony
While flying back
From their nocturnal abode
to the fields just harvested
In search of food.

(9)
'Coohoo coohoo' sings a cuckoo
On the mango tree fully flowered
Whose sweet smell enriches the breeze,
Now her mate joins her singing,
And love abounds.

(10)
All around me, life is vibrant!
What am I doing sitting at home?