The Finch and I

Art by Cathy Martin

The Finch and I

By Sharon Byrd

One day in the park at my usual bench –
The birds there all know me, and occasionally a finch
Would come to my area and sit on the walk,
Stare at me with interest, and prepare for our talk.

I would say to the finch, “Hi! How was your day?”
But the finch never answered; it had nothing to say.
It would hop in all directions, hop again with a twirl,
Then peck at the grass – not a care in the world.

I wondered to myself: what great destruction,
If this little finch does not listen to instruction.
What if this little finch goes and does what it wants?
Refuses and ignores the instruction it was taught?

What if this finch decides to stay up all night?
Then, what of the songs at the first tinges of light?
And what of finch children if she gathers no food,
Or what if she could talk, and is just plain rude?

What if at lunchtime every day we ate cake?
Six hundred pounds later and a big tummy ache
Would remind us right away the value of rules:
When we don’t pay attention, we are the fools.

I mean, rules are there for our own protection.
We can’t pick and choose how we are to respect them.
Your parents and grandparents have been there before,
So listen to them carefully, they definitely know more.

See, God made the earth and the sky to have order.
The land goes so far and the ocean has its border.
But if the waves were to cross the boundaries God set,
Water would be everywhere and everything would be wet.

For even the earth has certain rules to obey,
So how much more do we, as we go about our day?
What this poem is trying to tell us is: Remember the laws
All placed for our protection… to me, a good cause.

We are all here together: the finch, you, and me.
If we break the rules, it affects others wrongfully.
In this great race of life, it is best to understand,
The rules were created for a way bigger plan.\

Sometimes we get punished, and sometimes we do not,
But only you can decide from the rules you were taught.
So again this poem tells us to listen and obey,
To help and protect us as we go on our way.

As I sit on my bench and feed my small finch,
I think what if I swayed in my routine just an inch?
Then, who would come daily and feed my small friend?
The birds would look elsewhere, but where would it end?

Not only would my day have slight interruptions,
But I just might upset all things in motion.
So I continue to come daily, because the birds count on me, too.
And I am positive, if you look closely,
Someone is counting on you.