Morning at the Feeders

F.I. Goldhaber

Some mornings, greeted by a
cacophony of birdsong,
I open my curtains to
reveal a Northern Flicker
pounding at the suet, the
seed feeder covered in a
flutter of finches, Steller's
and Scrub Jays absconding with
peanuts, and a hummingbird
flitting about the fuchsia.

Other days, silence foretells
I'll find a Merlin Falcon
staring back at me from the
railing. As blue as the jays,
and not much taller, it comes
seeking prey among feathered
feasters who flee in fear of
the hunter's baleful beak
and its terrifying talons.

I understand by feeding
songbirds I also offer
sustenance to the entire
ecosystem of which they're
part. The pigeon hawk reminds
me, as does owls hooting and
coyotes howling through the
night, that we're all someone's prey.

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F.I. Goldhaber

F.I. Goldhaber's words capture people, places, and politics with a photographer's eye and a poet's soul. As a reporter, editor, business writer, and marketing communications consultant, they produced news stories, feature articles, editorial columns, and reviews for newspapers, corporations, governments, and non-profits in five states. Now paper, plastic, electronic, and audio magazines, books, newspapers, calendars, broadsides, and street signs display their poetry, fiction, and essays. More than 240 of their poems appear in almost 90 publications including What Color is Your Privilege? their political poetry collection published by Left Fork press. http://www.goldhaber.net/