The Water Cooler

A robin claims the center of the bath, while two more perch on the edge, waiting their turns. It must be a girls’ getaway day. A blackbird joins. She’s in a bit of a hurry, so waiting won’t do. She and the robin each choose a side, and send showers onto the waiting birds and the flowers beneath the bath. Once the larger birds
have exited the spa, a chickadee stops in for a brief visit.
Rather than wade into the center,
he hops around the edge of
what’s left of the water.
He dips and pauses,
dips and pauses, then
skips to the rim of the
bath to shake his tail in
the sunshine and check
to see if anyone else is
waiting. He is polite;
never one to
claim the best spot,
he’s happy with just enough.
A bluejay careens into the
bath and the chickadee
retreats into the
forsythia. The jay
struts a bit, then
stands, cocking his
head to look one
way, and then the other. He’s not
interested in bathing at all, only wishing to be seen.

Copyright 2019 – Laurie Marshall

This poem is being posted as part of the #100dayproject. Find out more here.