Aggressive Birds and Alley Cats

Aggressive Birds and Alley Cats

A Poem by Chris Shaw
"

Written for fun after listening to a radio programme

"
dare you venture close to reeds
where river swans are nesting
be warned you won't be welcome
.
for never have I witnessed
such aggression when cygnets
are deemed under threat
.
white wing span all aflap
will loom large while sharp beaks
will attack visciously
.
then there are the other "birds"
falling out of the local boozer
after a night of exotic cocktails
.
what a sight for sore eyes
as strays come outside
claws sharpened ready to fight
.
for a randy gods gift tom cat
lapping up all the action
over a poke in a back alley
.



© 2020 Chris Shaw


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Featured Review

I love your fresh artful depiction of this everyday phenomenon that most of us walk right by without commemorating it in a poem! I've watched a number of aggressive birds -- woodpeckers dive-bombing squirrels that try to climb the telephone pole to get their stash, geese in a local pond that keep the joggers moving along briskly, & last but not least, my hawks that circle over my cabin while erasing rodents -- one bashed into my window just the other day (my cabin is all windows, front & back, so the birds bash my windows pretty often, but never a huge bird like a hawk!) Anyhow, naturalists are against cats in the wilderness becuz they are so damaging to the various bird populations . . . however, I see it differently . . . I see the birds holding their own & I love that you write a snazzy poem about it! (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

Posted 4 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Chris Shaw

4 Years Ago

Thank you Margie, and for sharing so much about the region you live. Take care with those wild fires.. read more



Reviews

Not just exotic cocktails, but flowing pints of 5% beer - even stronger. Some great images here, and we compare the whiteness of something beautiful that can also be dangerous, with the less-than-white nature of some drunkards. So much can happen in back alleys. Thanks, Chris.

Posted 11 Months Ago


Chris Shaw

11 Months Ago

Thank you Andrew. An old poem out for a breath of air, but keeping away from back alleys lol. Nothin.. read more


Ooh err Matron .. now there's a thing .. I get the idea loud n clear me duck ... Neville

Posted 11 Months Ago


Chris Shaw

11 Months Ago

Them drunken birds aren’t just aggressive, they are ugly with it. Inspired by an item in the news... read more
Neville

10 Months Ago


I know wot ya mean, I've met one or two of em before .. N.
I love poems about the little things! We pass by cats chasing birds (or maybe, just maybe, the other way around) every day, and you always seem to have great words to tell a poem about it. Cats and birds are both chaotic in their own ways.

Posted 4 Years Ago


Chris Shaw

4 Years Ago

Many thanks for checking this one out. So much appreciated.

Chris
Vertigo Cat1111

4 Years Ago

No problem it’s my pleasure!
I have to say the sudden switch of direction took me completely by surprise. The first three stanzas I was following as 'Chrisness' then wham! that juxtapositioning of the 'birds' exiting the local public houses was quite unexpected. An effective way to draw the reader in then surprise them!

Posted 4 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Chris Shaw

4 Years Ago

Thank you John. Every now and again I like to go off the beaten track with my poetry. I like that th.. read more
the thing that i inferred from this is that things that look quite pleasing on the surface can be as vicious too.. And the birds and cats and swans all those things are just so much relatable up there!! u indeed observe the nature with great care and interest coz to watch things it is nothing but to write them in such a way and in simple deep manner is not a child's play! U are genius !!!!!!! love ur work!!:)

Posted 4 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Chris Shaw

4 Years Ago

How lovely of you to call on more of my work. Yes observation of nature can find common things with .. read more
Aradhana

4 Years Ago

I am thankful that I can across such a wonderful art... really I mean it :)
Chris Shaw

4 Years Ago

Thank you:)
A beautiful write, drunks spilling out of a bar equated to the tomcat going after geese, or maybe swans. I've known cats that would try to take down a bison because they were so full of themselves, a great metaphor. Also birds are mean.

Posted 4 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Chris Shaw

4 Years Ago

Thank you so much for leaving a review. Most appreciated.

Chris
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You make my morning. Beautiful scenery at few words. Simple but deep . Moments filled with true and beauty. I wonder if you ever read it Mary Oliver cause i feel quite simulate touch of nature here. Nicely done here and have Beautiful Sunday.

Posted 4 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Chris Shaw

4 Years Ago

Thank you Martin. I have never read Mary Oliver, although I have heard of her. I am happy to have ad.. read more
Ah yes, those aggressive swans ... can break a leg with a swat of their wings. As for those other birds hiding in the alleyways with sharpened claws, I can only think of the Beatles song "This Bird Has Flown".
Tom cats and alley cats struggling through the dark.

Well done Chris.

Posted 4 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Chris Shaw

4 Years Ago

Thank you Ted and for the reminder of the magnificent Beatles.

Chris
A thing of beauty can turn into a thing of fire for the sake of survival. Yet, what a contrast you draw between the fury of these lovely avians and the fury of the drunken alley cats. One fighting for life, the other for mere lust. It's here that your great observational powers and your skill with words comes to fore, dear Chris. Every poem of yours has something so unique and refreshing to convey!

Posted 4 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Chris Shaw

4 Years Ago

Dear DIVYA you bestow high praise on me and for that dear friend I am truly thankful as I am always .. read more
dear Chris... the correlation between the Swans on the River Bank and the Cocktails effect on an Alley Cat is predictable. At our previous home, we had feral cats and they would harass the Birds and worse. Now we live in a Bird Sanctuary and near the Rappahannock River where Terns and Eagles live in Serenity. Most people keep their Cats indoors. My two Cats have a large Sunporch all to themselves, as our two-story home would be a Mess, otherwise. Snowflake and Clover have been spade and neutered... so sad. Rarely see any neighbors Cats outside which is not Nature’s way. Twice we had a Strange pure Gold Tabby on our back porch railing where I feed the Birds constantly—
Much to the entertainment for our Sunporch Cats. Your poem is delightful with a touch of humor. truly, Pat

Posted 4 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Chris Shaw

4 Years Ago

Dear Pat, so pleased you picked up on the humour. Thank you for sharing your cats with me. I am a hu.. read more

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Added on August 19, 2020
Last Updated on August 19, 2020

Author

Chris Shaw
Chris Shaw

Berkshire, United Kingdom



About
Albert, my paternal grandfather introduced me to Tennyson when I was nine. I have loved poetry ever since but did not attempt writing a single piece until I was 40. It's never too late to try somethin.. more..

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