Esther and the Blackbirds.

Two Blackbirds jousting on the newly cut grass,
Probably brothers,
Remarked her brother,
The two Blackbirds were over-looked in the orchard by a seemingly indolently large ginger cat,
And their twin-female consorts were probably in the common hedges bordering the Estate,
And there was a further onlooker between the big windows,
Peeping out to the lawn,
Esther the sister to seek her brother,
Scenary spoiled behind the confusion of curtains and the nets.

Esther began her breakfast by warming by the fire,
That rushing smoke and flames,
And she told her fussing maid
"I can't abide fuss."
The new maid at a loss to interpret the warning,
Because she was new,
And Esther's brother David was out playing beyond,
To interpret skew her warning "Take care, dear brother."
He had his plans to malice,
Out of sight in the chilly orchard gloom,
And orchard scoffed an apple and to gloat!

And lordly stretches Sphynx-like the cat,
Over a particular trunk and random patch of sunlight,
Meanwhile the Crow-brothers grubbing out for a living,
Spotted the cat,
With a cacophony shrill alarms,
With a cacophony shrill alarms,
Esther sits down to eggs at her breakfast,
Disturbed by the shrill duet,
Behind the confusion of curtains and the nets,
A maid brings her tea and a sugar and a little comfort,
At enquiry Esther learns,

"Master's in the wood-orchard"
The maid is attending indifferently to the smoking logs,
Amidst a shower crackling sparks
And then the maid retires,
Amidst the shrill cacophony alarms,
Agitated still for no reason at that brother and the maid,
Esther went raging to the smoldering logs,
And the flames springs up,
Start at the linen draped down at Esther's ankle,
She did not notice at the start,
Methinks the maid she hears a fall of soot.

© R Frank Wilson