Owl
by Hugh Findlay
The plastic owl scares
the woodpecker away.
He sits and stares
and scares all day.
The siding on the house is scarred,
the chimney trim a mess.
The woodpecker hunts for bugs
and softness for her nest.
The young trees are too hard,
they yield no winter home.
The older woods are far away,
too far for her to roam.
Now snow begins to fall
and the sky is gray.
So the woodpecker gives up--
she flies away.
And the plastic owl dreams
of the woodpecker all day.
He sits and stares,
and dreams all day.
the woodpecker away.
He sits and stares
and scares all day.
The siding on the house is scarred,
the chimney trim a mess.
The woodpecker hunts for bugs
and softness for her nest.
The young trees are too hard,
they yield no winter home.
The older woods are far away,
too far for her to roam.
Now snow begins to fall
and the sky is gray.
So the woodpecker gives up--
she flies away.
And the plastic owl dreams
of the woodpecker all day.
He sits and stares,
and dreams all day.
Hugh Findlay's writing and photography have been published worldwide. Nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2020 for poetry and the Best Microfiction Anthology 2024, he is in the third trimester of life and hopes y’all like his stuff. Instagram: @hughmanfindlay. Portfolio: hughmanfindlay.wixsite.com/hughfindlay.