20160312 (racket)

How did the bird get in between the window glass and the inside film?

Critters in this house are nothing new.

Only one squirrel so far. At the Lee 

Road house we had one between the

Roof and ceiling of the study maybe

Having entered through some upper

Wall I had removed to repair leaks 

Below the kids’ bathroom. What a racket!

And this was only one squirrel

Very upset that he had wandered 

In from which he could not easily

Wander out. Lacking any plan to

Remove it we left for church. 

Luckily when we returned the 

Desperately tired and frustrated

Animal had indeed either died of

Its plight or found its way out—

Silence in the study reigned again. 

So today after watching this morning’s

Democracy Now! and serious sleep

Inevitable, Loki and I left the computer

Chair for a nap on the couch (Ah!

The retired life is a bitch). But 

A noise from the second floor 

Sounded as if Sophia were up 

There skateboarding on cardboard.

I tried ignoring but as it became 

More furious I walked up the rear

Stairway to see Sophia standing

Serenely outside a bedroom door.   

Inside I saw a bird (Lady robin?)

Caught between the window glass

And the film of the inner window

I’d installed to reduce air infiltration. 

The film appeared sound--neither

Torn nor punctured. How could the 

Bird be released? I fetched my 

Portable drill and began unscrewing

The frame of the inner window.

Should I take a picture of the

Mysteriously imprisoned animal

Lest no one believe my retelling?

Poor creature, the noise of the drill

Upset her even more and the film

Frame began whacking at my leg

As I loosened the bottom. I tried  

To keep her trapped until I raised 

The sash, but she escaped and 

Flew about the room, smacking

A couple of times against the

Other window’s covering film.

Since I had a couple of years

Earlier dealt with a squirrel in

This same room, I knew to keep

The door closed to the rest of the

House. I opened the sash and 

Told her to try leaving the way

I pointed (birds speak English).

Then she disappeared. Had I not

Seen her fly out? Was she a 

Hallucination from the first?

No, she was quietly sitting on

The upper shelf of a bookcase.

One poke of a stick and she took 

Off for the window but smacked

Against the upper. Landing on the

Sill on her way down, she saw

That part was open to the slight

Rain and flew to freedom. Only

When I reinstalled the film frame

Did I notice a gash in the upper

Portion which she likely made,

Then fell to the sill, trapped,

Unable to use her wings to rise 

Again to the gap. How had

She gotten in in the first place?

Gimmie a break! This hovel has 

So many holes in its soffits I’m 

Surprised neighborhood birds 

Don’t use this place for their

Winter conventions.

c. J.S.Manista, 2016