Gatecrasher

By the pond a pair of pigeons
Hoover up the food:
Seeds I threw for pleading robins
Trying to feed their brood.

But even big birds need to eat,
Even they are lazy.
Even so the speed with which
The seed's devoured is crazy!

On the wall a cat appears,
He's come from three doors down.
I can't encourage him to stay;
Birds don't want him around.

I know the cat won't steal the seeds,
On that I can rely,
But in his search for meat, I fear
We could see feathers fly.

So, off you go, unwelcome cat,
And prowl another track!
Leave my birds to feed in peace
And please don't hurry back.

© Celia Warren 2016

Note: the birds are both pairs; it's just I failed to catch the two robins in the same frame. The one on the right, collecting mealworms, is the bolder one. He or she comes to ask for food when it sees me at the window. As soon as I provide some, the partner appears, too.