2 mynah birds crashed onto the porch
tearing chunks of feathers
and screaming at each other
and clicking furiously
a third bird
hovered around on the perimeter of the fight
was one or both of its parents fighting
after a while i thought they might be mating
they fell off my balc
and landed in some sandy gravel below
still pecking and swearing at each other in mynah
one could have no doubt something wild was going on
the kids ran down and surrounded the birds
but they were too engrossed in fighting/mating/screaming to care
eventually we all went back inside
the birds still thrashing in the dirty sand
little holes appearing in their feathers all over
as they savage each other
was one bird raping the other one?
eventually they flew off
still screaming
do all worlds contain violence?
ive seen cats playing with mice
ive seen dogs chasing cats
ive seen ferrets get hold of a rabbit
a cat i had swallowed a bird whole alive
its wings were hanging out the cats mouth
like a giant movable groucho moustache
at first i couldnt see what was happening
i’d make the cat spit the bird out
then the bird was stumbling around punch drunk
inside my house
and the cat turns round
gives me a nasty nip
i let it go
it pounces on the bird again
and you got the groucho effect again
the bird stuck its wings out
to prevent the cat from swallowing it
imagine that
a writhing beaky clawy bird stuffed down your gullet
now i knew the cat wasnt hungry
i knew that cos he was my cat and he got fed well
the cat just hated birds
it sat in the garden
watching them
growling
extending its claws
oh i’ll show you little birdy
says the cat to itself
it hates the birdys little song
it hates how the bird can fly
how the bird mocks it
as it leaves the branch at the last moment
and goes up and away
but mr cat is sometimes very quick
he could flick out a dogs eye
or snatch a cute little birdy out of the air
and this birdy had waited too long
just that tiny tiny instant he tarried
and the cat
graceful cruel and deadly
the cat who rarely misses
the cat with nine lives
seeing in the dark
feline and quick
the cat full of prejudice and hatred
full of malice and envy
and the sheer desire for bloodshed
he hooks the bird in mid-air
and brings it to the ground
the bird is squawking and going crazy
of course, wouldnt you?
an alien life form
a colder more efficient killing machine
unheard of in suburbia
cats with their yogic powers of balance strength patience
cat never second guesses
mr cat right in the moment with the birdy
the birdy is looking death in the face
death incarnate
the cat is confused
does this flapping bony thing look like food to him
no meat
held together with crawling lice
the cat is now ashamed and tired of the creature
he gulps it down
to make it disappear
so that it will never sing its little song again
or fly away into the blue sky
the cat hates it
it hates the bird
it tries to swallow it
but the human
the stupid human he will not understand
this bird has been on my list awhile now
i will not be cheated of this prize
the human grabs the cat
and slaps its back leg
spit it out he yells over and over
and to think
thought the cat as it choked back the feathers
that i brought the bird in to show him
just like the rats and the mice
and believe it or not
for about the fifth time
the cats spits out this seriously crumpled bird
why hasnt it actually bitten it
just tried to swallow it?
and the bird
sensing its last ever chance
at pecking up a maggot or laying an egg
or flying north for the winter
or whatever it was that it enjoyed
maybe it had a nice nest….
anyway it ducked out the back door
while casper the cat gave the human a nasty little scratching
and hissing
you idiot
you ruined everything
and miraculously
birdy flew away