Union

by Stephen House

for thirty years wattlebirds have lived

in four sprawling grevilleas

i planted

when i bought my small house

in a big city

my contribution to native birds

i realized over time

through their come and go presence

they swoop and dive

perch and flutter

feed on nectar of flame red flowers

that blossom when they do

the crows complex call at dawn

patient wait

changes rhythm

until she coos soft response

as i lay awake in my dim room

window open wide

absorbed in outside courtship games

and song

they mate and nest

share offspring joy with me

sense i am their friend

they must know i keep prowling danger away

watch me

as i spray hunting cats with water

to say our garden is not for kill

i feel my home has seen many generations

of the same flying family

they show territorial ways

allow some in to share the trees

build on familiar limbs

sing and mimic repeated songs

but how can i know

they are birds and i am man

seperated by our species

but together

in our pocket of shared urban nature

on our still surviving planet

as decades soar fast by

a union

of four growing grevilleas

wattlebirds who need them

and me