Calm As A Magpie - in The Yard. Poem by Tor Magnor Solvang

The skjære, black and white so bright,
A clever bird, a welcome sight.
From north to south, she's known by all,
A feathered friend, both big and small.

A thinking bird, she passed the test,
Recognized herself, put to the quest.
A mirror showed, she knew 'it's me',
The smartest bird for all to see.

In stories old, a lucky sign,
Or devil's bird, a different line.
But now we know, she's just a bird,
Whose chirping song is often heard.

'Chak-chak-chak, ' her call rings clear,
A noisy sound, for all to hear.
Or 'ch-tak, ' short, a quicker sound,
Or 'chuik, ' so high, it spins around.

'Calm as skjære, ' Norwegians say,
When peace and quiet rule the day.
She sits so still, upon the ground,
And listens close, to all around.

So many pairs, across the land,
From farms to forests, hand in hand.
One hundred thousand, maybe more,
The skjære thrives, from shore to shore.